Tides of Change
by mineng101
Summary: AU, Kamito arrives at the Areishia Spirit Academy with a surprising companion. OP Kamito. There are spoilers.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello readers, I'm back with another new story. I recently found this anime, and now I am in the process of reading the manga and light novels. This story, while AU, still will contain spoilers, but I imagine if you were really concerned about that you would not be reading this. I took a small part of inspiration from the fanfiction story 'Everchanging Tides' by Encendrel. Just giving props where needed.**

 **Thank you to QueenofCellos and xden1997 for beta work.**

 **I do not own Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance(Bladedance of the Elementalers)**

"I never realized how big the academy grounds were." Commented a young man to his companion as they trekked through the spirit forest on their way to the Areishia Spirit Academy. He was fairly tall with dark hair and eyes. While he was definitely a male, his features were quite effeminate. He was wearing a plain black short sleeved shirt and comfortable fitting pants. He had a dark brown leather jacket slung over his right shoulder and a black leather glove covering his left hand. "I wonder what that old hag wants anyway."

*smack!*

"Ow! What was that for?" the boy asked rubbing the back of his head where he just got slapped.

"Kamito, how many times do I have to remind you, always treat women with the proper respect. I don't care what your feelings may be toward them." A beautiful young woman scolded. She was a head shorter than Kamito with brilliant blue hair and mesmerizing silver blue eyes. She was wearing a knee length deep blue dress and midnight blue knee high stockings.

Kamito almost didn't see her suddenly stop and her lips turn up in a surprised smile. "Hey Iseria, what is it?"

"We're going to take a small detour." Iseria said as she started heading away from the academy building.

"Where are we going?" Kamito asked falling into step with Iseria. As far as he was concerned, the longer it took to get to their destination, the better.

"I just sensed a presence I have not felt in a millennia. If we can gain her cooperation, our goals will be much closer at hand." Iseria answered. 'I never would have guessed we would stumble upon her here.' Glancing at Kamito, another thought came to mind. 'I just hope she gives him a chance to prove that he isn't like his predecessor.'

Iseria paused for a moment, a frown replacing the smile that had been rigging at her lips. "We need to hurry, there is someone else there, and they are not strong enough to contract with her."

They arrived at the shrine in the cave just in time to witness a redheaded girl pull a sword out of a large stone. She was wearing a white school uniform with black trim adorned with a yellow bow on the front. Her hair was tied up on either side of her head with thin black ribbons in a twin-tail style. Her large ruby eyes burned with an inner fire that betrayed her fiery personality. Kamito couldn't help but think she was cute despite her apparent lack in the chest department.

"I don't know why, but that sword looks familiar for some reason." Kamito commented.

"It should, that is the demon slaying sword, the Sword of Severain." Iseria responded.

"I..I did it!" She yelled triumphantly breathing hard from the exertion of removing the sword. Suddenly the sword glowed brightly and exploded into dust. Kamito used thunderclap to catch the redhead before she crashed into the wall.

Kamito's face was covered by her hair, so he couldn't see where his hands were holding her. Feeling something soft and slightly squishy in his hands, he couldn't help and squeeze a couple of times trying figure out what he was touching.

"ooohh…" The young woman moaned in front of him.

'Wait, don't tell me that those are her…'

" .where do you think you are touching, you pervert!" The redhead screamed, blushing almost to the point of glowing.

"Rubia?" Kamito whispered before he could catch himself.

The girl stopped in mid rant when she heard that name on his lips. "How do you know that name?" her voice quiet coming out almost as a growl.

"Kamito! Above you!" Iseria warned.

"Shit!" Hovering far above them, the sword spirit was thrashing around madly. "Look, now's not the time. We need to get out of here before that spirit fully awakens." Kamito grabbed her arm and attempted to drag the fiery girl to safety.

Looking back up at the sword spirit, the girl slipped out of his grip and charged ahead.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? Sealed spirits are sealed for a reason. They have a tendency to try and kill those who try to tame them!" Kamito grabbed her arm again.

"I have to do this, I need a powerful spirit to become stronger!" She turned and punched Kamito in the solar plexus forcing him to release her.

" **Guardian of the crimson blaze, Keeper of the undying heath! Now's the time to abide by the blood contact, come forth and do my bidding!"**

In her hand, a long whip made of fire materialized. "Scarlet! That spirit needs a lesson in manners. It's time to hunt!" The whip dematerialized and reappeared as a red cat with flaming fur. The sword stopped its thrashing and aimed its tip at the redhead. The cat hissed and charged at the sword.

Watching from the shrine entrance, Iseria recognised the fire cat. "Ortlinde." Her whisper was lost in the sounds of the skirmish. "This day is just full of surprises." The small smile returning to her lips.

The sword spirit and the fire cat clashed several times in the air, each time throwing sparks into the air. "Eat this!" **Searing Fireball!** A large fireball appeared in the girl's hand which she launched at the battling spirits. The fireball struck the sword with a resounding explosion. She knew that no harm would come to her spirit because it was her natural affinity. The girl started walking to where her attack hit expecting to find the spirit defeated, but as the smoke cleared, it was evident that the sword was unscathed. It struck Scarlet with its flat side and dove towards the redhead.

"Look out!" Kamito yelled as he tackled her to the ground allowing the sword to pass cleanly over them. The sword buried itself in the far wall of the cave.

"Humph! Get off me! I didn't ask for your help!" she yelled at Kamito.

"That spirit is too strong for you. We need to get out of here now!" Kamito tried again to get her to leave, but the sword was able to extract itself from the wall and placed itself in their escape path. The sword seemed to hesitate now that Kamito stepped in, like it was trying to decided which was the more vital target of its wrath. The redheaded girl summoned her whip again and ensnared the sword spirit.

"Now Scarlet!" She called out to her contract spirit. The sword cut itself free from the whip and evaded the cat's claws. Before Scarlet could react, the sword pierced her side and the cat fell from the the air. "Scarlet!" The redhead ran to her fallen spirit's side and picked her up. "Scarlet!" she cried out again as the cat faded from view returning to the Astral Zero. With tears in her eyes, the young woman slowly turned her face to the sword spirit that was speeding at her, intent on running her through as it had just done to her spirit when a shadow blocked her view.

"Damn it! I don't have a choice!" Kamito yelled as he jumped in front of the girl and held his right hand up to the rampaging sword spirit. Watching in awe, the girl didn't even notice as some blood from Kamito's hand landed on her cheek when the sword pierced his hand. Kamito directed all his divine power to the palm of his right hand so the sword would not pass all the way through.

 **Oh holy spirit sealed in ancient sword! Thou shall accept me as thy master and I shall be thy sheath!**

'What! A spirit contract! But how? He is a male.' the girl could not believe what she was witnessing.

 **Thrice I command thee, exchange vows with me!**

The cave was bathed in a brilliant white light, and with a thunderous blast the sword vanished. Kamito looked at the back of his right hand as saw a bright green flash as the contract seal appeared on his hand. 'I'm sorry Restia, I had no other choice.' His world faded into darkness as he collapsed from exhaustion.

Kamito slowly awoke to the sound of angry voices.

"What do you mean I can't make him my contact spirit? He is the one that stole my spirit to begin with!" The fiery girl demanded.

"He just saved your life and this is how you thank him?" Iseria asked incredulously. "Besides, he is a human, how do you expect to form a contract with him?"

"I had everything under control! There was no need for him to interfere!" She insisted.

"Are you an idiot? Your contact spirit was defeated and had returned to Astral Zero! If Kamito would not have stepped in, you would have been killed." Iseria argued.

Kamito let out a groan as he tried to sit up. This caught the attention of the two bickering girls. Iseria rushed to his side.

"Don't try to get up. You used up a lot of your divine power back there. Just rest for a few minutes." Iseria insisted tenderly. The redhead stomped over and glared at Kamito with her arms crossed over her chest.

"You need to take responsibility. You stole my spirit." she huffed.

Kamito arched an eyebrow at her demands. "And you would be…?"

"I'm Claire Rouge, and you are going to be my slave spirit." Claire identified herself.

Kamito glanced up at Iseria, who had placed his head in her lap, as if to silently ask 'Is she serious?' She shook her head as she rolled her eyes. Returning his attention back to Claire "Sorry, but I think I will pass."

Claire moved to stand over Kamito trying to intimidate him into submission "Who says you get a say in the matter?"

Kamito looked up at her for a moment. "What daring underwear, they match your hair nicely."

"... ..."

It took a couple of seconds for his words to register and she slowly glanced down to see that, yes, he would easily be able to see up her skirt. "Eep!" Claire quickly backed up and pulled down on the hem of her skirt. Even with her face hidden by her long red hair, Kamito could see her crimson blush. When she looked up, he could see tears in her ruby eyes.

"Unforgivable, turn to cinders you pervert!" Claire shouted, her fire whip materializing in her hand.

The whip never made it to its target, instead crashing into a column of water. Iseria's eyes were narrowed in irritation and her hand extended in front of her. "You need to cool off before I do it for you." Iseria warned. Claire just nodded her head stunned at the power she felt from the woman.

"That's better." Iseria nodded. "Kamito, as much as I like having your head in my lap, we really need get moving."

"You're right. I guess we have kept her waiting long enough." Kamito slowly got to his feet, still feeling drained from using so much energy against that sword spirit.

They were about to start walking toward the academy when Claire stopped them again. "What business do you have at the school? A pervert like you has no right to step on that sacred ground."

"I received a summons from Greyworth. I have no idea what that old...lady wants with me." Kamito revised when he saw the warning glare from Iseria. He removed a sealed letter from an inner pocket of his jacket.

'Old lady?' Claire thought irritably. Greyworth Ciel Mais, also known as the Dusk Witch, is the current director of the prestigious Areishia Spirit Academy and a former member of the Numbers, who are the strongest of the spirit knights. As such, she is very well respected by the students art the academy.

"This is a first rank emblem seal of the empire." Claire stated in wonder. It is a seal comprised of spirits of the five elements integrated into a magical seal that is reportedly impossible to counterfeit. It is quite a rare sight because so few elementalists can properly perform the technique. Claire had never seen one in person, but she could not mistake the spiritual signature it contained.

The three of them walked in the direction of the school in silence for a few minutes when Claire asked a question that had been bothering her for a while. "Earlier you called me Rubia, how do you know that name?"

Kamito sighed "You look like someone I met a few years ago, she, umm, helped me out of a, umm, unpleasant situation." Kamito was not comfortable sharing his past, especially with someone he just met.

"Where is she? Where is my sister?" Claire asked desperately.

'sister huh. Well that explains the fiery disposition.' "Honestly, I don't know. I haven't seen her in a couple of years. Sorry I can't be more helpful." Kamito offered.

Claire's had dropped dejectedly "It's okay, it's enough to know she is still alive."

The rest of the to the academy was quiet. Claire was still upset about not gaining the powerful spirit, and she couldn't figure out how Kamito, a man, was able form a contract with said spirit, but she would force him to talk after he gets done with the headmistress.

Claire glanced at Kamito, and started blushing when she realized he was actually very good looking. He still had his jacket off, so Claire was able to see his well toned arms. Claire's blush intensified when she realized her gaze had drifted down to where she was staring at Kamito's ass. 'Get a hold of yourself Claire, there is no way you are attracted to this pervert. Besides, he stole my spirit contract.'

Throughout her inner musings, Claire failed to notice her eyes were still glued to Kamito's backside. "See something you like?" Kamito smirked watching Claire's reaction. After several moments of incoherent stuttering, Kamito chuckled. "Calm down, I was only teasing. I could tell you were deep in thought. Still thinking about your sister?" Kamito asked.

"N..umm, yes I was." Claire lied nervously, not wanting to admit she was checking him out. Walking through the gates onto the campus, Claire quickly made an excuse about having to meet someone and hurried away trying to hide her blush.

"That wasn't nice teasing her like that. You really need to be more considerate of the feelings of these young women." Iseria chided.

"We might as well go see Greyworth and see what was so important." Kamito shrugged. He really didn't feel comfortable being surrounded by so many young women who were starting to appear, curious about the only make on campus. Many of the students there had not had any contact with men outside their family, so their curiosity was only natural.

They made their way through the main facility sending up at the pair of large wooden doors belonging to the headmistress's office. Kamito was just about to open the door when he heard shouting from the other side.

"Headmistress, I have to object! What business does a man have here?" The voice of a young woman could be heard.

"Because I invited him here. That should be good enough for you." Kamito did not envy the person on the receiving end of that cold voice.

"But headmistress, a man's presence could taint the purity of many maidens' hearts. Men have no business here." the younger woman argued.

"ufufu. It sounds like you are ready to lose your purity to Kamito, and you haven't even him yet." Greyworth teased. After much stuttering, Greyworth continued "Calm down Ellis. Kamito is here because he is very special."

"You mean how he is a male elementalist?" Ellis huffed.

"That too, but he is special in other ways as well." Greyworth answered.

"You know Kamito, it isn't polite, or wise, to eavesdrop on a woman's conversation." Iseria warned.

Kamito was just about to respond when he heard footsteps quickly approaching the door. He jumped out of the way just as the doors crashed open and stared at the beautiful blue haired girl that still had her leg raised up from kicking the doors.

"Who's there?!" Ellis demanded. She was wearing the standard white uniform with black trim as well as a small breastplate and shoulder epaulet. On her hip was a one handed long sword.

"Black is a good color for you." Kamito commented as Iseria face palmed and shook her head.

"You're a man!?" Ellis quickly drew her sword and started slashing at Kamito who dodged each swing effortlessly. "Stand still so I can turn you into salmon fillets." Ellis ordered in irritation.

"Sounds tempting, but I do believe I will have to pass." Kamito replied leaning back to avoid a slash aimed at parting his head from his body.

"Ellis, stay your sword. This is not the proper way to greet invited guests." A cool voice spoke up from the doorway. Standing there was a mature woman with grey hair and eyes wearing a maroon dress suit and a monocle over her left eye.

" …" Ellis started, her sword still poised over her head ready to strike.

"Ellis Fahrengart, are you going to make me repeat myself?" Greyworth asked in a tone so cold that Kamito was sure the temperature on the hallway dropped.

Ellis quickly sheathed her sword and bowed deeply, her knees shaking in fear "No ma'am, I apologise for my actions."

Greyworth looked past Ellis at Kamito "Hello Kamito. It's been three years. You're looking good." Greyworth smirked.

"Hello Dusk Witch. You're looking the same as always." Kamito responded with a smirk of his own.

"Who is your friend he…" Greyworth stopped in mid sentence, her eyes growing in shock as she recognized Kamito's blue haired friend.

"Good day headmistress Greyworth, I am Atlantae, it is a pleasure to meet you." Iseria answered quickly with a perfect curtsey, locking her eyes with Greyworth's.

Greyworth nodded in understanding. "The pleasure is mine, I assure you. Please, would the two of you join me in my office, and at can get down there The reason for your visit."

"Headmistress, I really must object to you being alone with this rogue. What should happen if he decides to attack you in lust?" Ellis insisted.

Greyworth looked Kamito over for a moment. "I do believe I would rather enjoy that. Besides, I'm wearing my lucky underwear. Want to know what color they are?" Greyworth teased.

" ?" Ellis flushed bright red.

"If I remember correctly, you don't wear underwear." Kamito tried to sound confident, but he could not hide the blush that colored his cheeks at Greyworth's teasing.

Ellis was standing slack jawed and blushing even after the doors to the headmistress's office closed. Collecting her composure, Ellis decided to stand guard in the hallway incase she was needed.

"That Ellis Fahrengart, she can be quite overzealous, but she is very loyal if you can tame her. She is one of the daughters of the Fahrengart Dukedom and captain of the Sylphid Knights, who are tasked with keeping the peace on campus as well as the nearby town that supports this school." Greyworth informed her guests.

Greyworth motioned for Kamito and Iseria to take a seat after she had taken hers behind her desk. "I was beginning to think you were not coming, you know it is impolite to keep a lady waiting."

"I'll keep that in mind if I am ever visiting a lady." Kamito popped off earning a smack to the back of his head courtesy of his companion.

"I'm glad to see that someone has undertaken the challenge of taming this brat." Greyworth struggled to contain a chuckle.

"Someone needed to." Iseria glared at Kamito.

"Lady Iseria, it is a great honor to have you here with us, but I have to ask, to what do we owe the honor?" Greyworth asked.

"I have formed a spirit contract with Kamito." Iseria answered. To say Greyworth was shocked would be an understatement. She had never heard off a any one forming a contract with an Elemental Lord.

"How did he convince you to form a contract with you?"

"The contact was actually my idea. I had to convince Kamito it was for the best." Iseria informed Greyworth.

 *****Flashback-Three years ago*****

" **Congratulations on winning the bladedance Ren Ashbell. Your performance was awe inspiring."** A disembodied voice sounded from within the True Sanctuary, the dwelling place of the Elemental Lords.

The True Sanctuary is the holiest of holy spaces in Astral Zero. Not even the personal priestesses of the Elemental Lords, the Elemental Queens, are allowed access to this domain. The only way for a mortal to gain access is to win the bladedance, which is held every few years. Along with being granted an audience with the Elemental Lords, the victor is granted one wish of whatever she desires.

Ren Ashbell, aka Kamito Kazehaya, was rather unique in the fact that she was not really a she, but rather a male. He was only the second known male capable of forming spirit contracts, the other was the Great Demon King, Sulaiman, who reigned terror upon the continent a millennia ago before he was defeated by the Sacred Queen."

" **For winning the bladedance, we shall bestow a miracle upon you. Please state your wish and it will be so."** The great voice intoned.

Kamito gripped the hilt of his elemental waffe, the highly specialized weapon form of his contract spirit, and closed his eyes to mentally prepare himself for what he was about to do. " _Immediately after you state your wish, you must strike in order to have any chance of success. Target the Holy Lord Alexandros first as he has the most influence over the human world. Remember, I will be by your side the entire time. I have faith in you."_

" _Thank you Restia, I really needed to hear that. After this is all done, let's go off together, just the two of us."_ Kamito suggested to his sword spirit. He could feel her happiness through their link.

" _I would like that very much, Kamito. It's time, let us free the Lords."_ Restia stated.

"Release!" Kamito muttered under his breath. This was a powerful self-suggestion technique that would temporarily remove his mental and physical barriers allowing him to surpass his human limitations. "I wish for the death of the Elemental Lords."

Kamito was on his feet in an instant and used thunderclap to ascend the stairs to the throne of the Holy Elemental Lord, but was stunned when he discovered it to be vacant. Turning quickly, Kamito leapt to the next throne that was enveloped in a blue glow. Thrusting his sword into the light, Kamito could feel it pierce flesh. The light dissipated revealing the naked form of a young woman with blue hair reminiscent of flowing water.

"Thank you." The girl smiled gently as she faded from view.

" _Kamito, something isn't right here, we must make our escape."_ Restia said, worry evident in her voice.

" _Alright, let's go then."_ Kamito leapt from the throne of Iseria Seaward, the Elemental Lord of water, just as black tendrils erupted from the space previously occupied by the Elemental Lord. " _What the hell is that!?"_ Kamito moved as fast as he could, but the darkness was gaining on him. With the power of his 'release' command fading, Kamito was overcome with fatigue.

" _Shit! Is this how it's going to end?"_ Suddenly, the Vorpal sword vanished from his left hand. " _Restia!"_

" _Vorpal blast:Binding Lightning."_ Black lightning wrapped around the mass of darkness, halting its progress. A girl with black hair and purple eyes wearing a violet dress with black trim appeared before Kamito. He could see the look of concern etched on her face as she held off the squirming darkness with one hand, the other starting to trace a complicated design in the air between them.

Kamito recognised out as a teleportation spell. "Restia, no! I can't leave without you! There has to be another way. Please don't leave me!"

Before Restia could finish her spell, a blue light appeared behind Kamito. Relief flooded Restia's face as a pair of delicate looking arms wrapped around Kamito.

"Thank you, Lady Iseria, please the care of him. Kamito...I really wanted to see your dream come true and stay by your side forever, but.." Restia started, tears forming in her eyes. "but this looks like one dream that cannot come true. You must get out of here, I can't hold it off much longer."

"Restia!" Kamito cried out as the arms pulled him into a blue void. He tried reaching for Restia's outstretched hand, but he was already too far away. As everything faded into blue, Kamito watched Restia close her eyes, a peaceful look on her face.

" _Please live Kamito. Your are the most precious person to me. I love you."_ Restia disappeared from view.

Kamito's eyes adjusted to the light and he discovered that he was no longer in the True Sanctuary, but on a sandy beach surrounded with crystal blue water. He was laying on his back with his head propped on something soft. Tears fell from his eyes as he remembered Restia's lady words to him.

"Restia!" Kamito jumped to his feet desperately looking around for a way to get back to save Restia. He saw a beautiful young woman kneeling on the ground where he had just been laying. She had blue hair that looked like flowing water and eyes the color of the ocean. She was wearing a shimmering silk kimono of blue swirls. "Please!" Kamito pleaded dropping to his knees in the sand. "We have to go back and get her!"

"I'm sorry, but that is impossible, she has already been consumed by the darkness." The Elemental Lord of water apologized bowing her head.

"No...it's all my fault." Kamito said quietly in shock. "I wasn't strong enough and now she is gone." Kamito collapsed on the ground. "Restia, I'm so sorry." Kamito sobbed.

Iseria could feel Kamito's divine power start to spike as he cried out for Restia. 'This power, it can't be… This is not the power of a pure maiden, it's..it's..' power exploded from Kamito in waves. Kamito's eyes popped open revealing red irises.

Kamito threw his head back as he was overcome with overwhelming power. " **Restia! AHHHHHHHH!"** Kamito was enveloped in light as his power reached into the visual spectrum.

"The Demon King." Iseria whispered to herself staring at Kamito, realizing the gravity of the situation. Closing her eyes, Iseria could feel that Kamito was trying to resist losing himself the power surging through him. Deciding on a course of action, Iseria walked up to Kamito and placed a hand on his chest over his heart.

" **Dark knight of pure heart, Slayer of evil! Accept my pledge and I will become your shield! I bestow upon you the strength to free this world from the darkness consuming it!**

 **Thrice I offer myself to you, accept my pledge!"**

A brilliant blue light flared around the pair on the beach. As it faded away, a blue circle illuminated under Kamito's shirt, just over his heart. The contract complete, Iseria collapsed from exhaustion into Kamito's arms. His eyes shifted from red back to their normal dark color. Looking down at the sleeping girl in his arms, he could feel her through their new link.

He felt a new power within himself, but it was no longer raging out of control, but felt as calm and deep as the ocean. On the back of his left hand, Kamito could see that Restia's contract seal was still there, even if he could not feel her presence.

Squeezing his fist so tight his fingernails drew blood from his palm, Kamito closed his eyes "Restia, it is my fault you are not here with me now. I swear I will find you, and i will become strong enough to save you. Please wait for me Restia, I love you." Kamito slipped into unconsciousness alongside Iseria.

 ****End Flashback****

"Hmm...so I take it that is you spirit mark on his right hand there then?" Greyworth asked.

"No, we ran into an issue on our way here. It couldn't be helped." Kamito looked away.

"I guess that this means you are finally giving up on your ghost hunt." Greyworth sat back in her chair crossing her arms over her chest.

"She is not a ghost. I will find her and I will rescue her." Kamito glared at Greyworth.

"There have been sightings of a young woman fitting her description over the past couple of years, but I'm sure you already know this." Greyworth said, waiting for Kamito to take the bait.

"I already know of those rumors, if that is all you have to offer, we will be on our way." Kamito stood up to leave.

"I suppose you can go, too bad though. I did find a very interesting tidbit of information concerning the strongest blade dancer attending the next bladedance in a couple of months. And she was sighted with a darkness elemental in the form of a young woman." Greyworth smirked as Kamito froze where he stood.

"Restia."

 **Well, this ends chapter 1, thank you for taking the time to read. In this story, Iseria had contacted with Kamito to help him control the power of the demon king that had awakened when he thought that Restia was gone for good. Iseria is not going to use her powers often because she and Kamito want that to be an ace up their sleeve for the upcoming bladedance. I plan on loosely following canon, with some changes to make it more unique. This will be a harem story, but I am undecided how big to make it. Kamito will be somewhat overpowered, but I don't plan on loading him with spirits in this story, just Est, Iseria, and eventually Restia again.**

 **For my readers of 'A Dance with Death', fear not, I do plan on continuing that story for many more chapters. I also plan on trying to put out updates on a couple of other stories as well. This story along with A Dance will be my main focus though.**

 **Thank you again for your time and have a good day**


	2. Chapter 2

**I want thank everyone for giving my story a chance, and thank you to those who left a review. I appreciate the comments. Here is chapter two. Enjoy.**

Kamito froze in his tracks. Ren Ashbell, that was the persona he had adopted to compete in the previous bladedance. After her victory, Ren Ashbell had mysteriously vanished and had not been seen or heard from in three years. Whoever was pretending to be him had to be very sure of their abilities to try and pull off this farce. That she had been sighted with a darkness spirit in the form of a young woman with black hair and wearing a dusk colored dress could only mean Restia was assisting the imposter. Questions were flooding Kamito's mind, but he knew what he had to do start getting answers.

"Would you care to repeat that?" Kamito wanted to make sure he heard her right.

"When have you known me to freely give out information?" Greyworth asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"You have never exactly been known for altruism, what do you want?" Kamito knew that this was going to be troublesome, but this was his best opportunity to get a lead on finding Restia.

Greyworth produced a stack of papers from under her desk and slid them to Kamito along with a pen.

Kamito picked up the top page "You have got to be kidding me, you want me to enroll here at the academy?" Kamito asked incredulously.

"The next bladedance will be held in two months,and this time participation will require teams of five. This arrangement will provide you with a pool to select a team from. There are actually a few gems to be found here." Greyworth explained.

"And the reason you want me to enroll here is…?" Kamito prompted.

"I have my reasons."

"Fine." Kamito signed the papers.

"The Alphas Theocracy has announced that Ren Ashbell will be participating in the next bladedance under their sponsorship." Greyworth elaborated. "We all know that there is no way that the real Ren Ashbell would ever consider working for the Alphas."

Kamito glanced over at Iseria ' _Do you think it could be…?'_

Meeting Kamito's eyes Iseria gave an almost imperceptible nod of her head ' _Who else would have to hide their identity behind the guise of Ren Ashbell and have the skill to back it up?'_

"Why hasn't anyone disputed their claim?" Kamito asked.

"Because she fits the physical description and is quite skilled with a blade. No one knows what she looks like because she wears a mask, but no nation is willing to risk the embarrassment that would follow any accusations of it were to be proven that she was the real deal."

Kamito nodded in understanding. "Do you know who it could be?" Kamito had his suspicions, but didn't want to voice then until he had more proof.

Apparently Greyworth was thinking along the same lines "I have an idea, but it is just speculation." Kamito nodded again.

"You'll be needing these." the headmistress placed a white bundle on the desk. Kamito unfolded the item on top to discover a custom tailored uniform in Arieshia Academy colors.

"I had them made specially for you."

"Do I even want to know how you got my sizes?"Kamito deadpanned.

"What? I can't check on my favorite apprentice from time to time? You know, I think I still have that maid outfit that you wore before the last bladedance." Greyworth feigned a look of innocence.

Iseria looked at Kamito with a raised eyebrow. "Kamito, I had no idea you were so into cross dressing." she teased.

"Wha..I..no..it was a disguise."Kamito stumbled.

Both Iseria and Greyworth broke into a fit of laughter at his reaction. "There's the cute boy I remember." Greyworth wiped a joyful tear from her eye.

"Ha ha, do you at least have somewhere I can get changed?" Kamito grumbled.

"What's the matter? Embarrassed?" Greyworth asked expectantly.

Kamito rolled his eyes "I worry about the future of this academy when the headmistress herself cannot maintain her purity. I wonder how the nobles would feel, knowing that their pure hearted daughters were being exposed to such an environment?"

"Fine, ruin all my fun. You can change in the restroom, that door over there." Greyworth sighed dramatically.

Kamito took a moment to look at himself in the mirror on the back of the door. He was proud of his physique, he may not be bulging with muscles, but what he did have was well defined from countless hours of training. On his chest, centered over his heart, was a contract seal with a faint blue glow. It featured waves circling around the center like a whirlpool. In the center of the whirlpool was a second seal of a water jug being poured out. It was virtually indistinguishable from the outer seal.

 ******Flashback-Three years ago******

Kamito opened his eyes slowly as he regained consciousness. He was laying on a beach , the gentle lapping of the waves on the verge of lulling him back to sleep. Feeling a soft pressure on his arm, Kamito looked to the side and found himself nose to nose with one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. Her deep blue hair spilled along the ground looking like water flowing in a river. Her eyes were closed and she had a peaceful smile on her face. Closing his eyes, he could feel the rhythm of her heart beating. A sense of absolute peace enveloped his mind. Kamito wanted nothing more than to lose himself to the peaceful sensation, but the image of a young woman with black hair and dusk colored eyes snapped him out of his dream with a start.

Iseria had been awakened when Kamito jumped. "(Yawn) Good morning Kamito." Iseria smiled sleepily.

Kamito stared out over the water without acknowledging her. He appeared to be lost in thought. Iseria placed a hand on his shoulder and was about to ask what was troubling him when he started speaking. "I wasn't strong enough protect her. I swore I would always protect her, I-I failed… and now she's gone." Kamito was looking at the dark seal on the back of his left hand with tears in his eyes.

Iseria wrapped her arms around Kamito's chest songs placed her cheek on his shoulder. "Kamito…"

"Now I have betrayed her" Kamito placed his hand over Iseria's, covering the new seal over his heart. "What kind of person am I to accept another contract when she is still out there somewhere."

"You are alive, and that is what is important now. If you had died, who would be left to rescue her?" Iseria moved so she was in front of Kamito so she could look into his eyes. "You rescued me from that horrid existence, you will do the same for her. You now have the strength to make a difference, what you need to learn now is how to harness that power. You have a strong heart, so I know you can take control of the power of the Demon King."

"Demon King!?" Kamito was stunned, the elders at the Instructional School always insisted that he was the reincarnation of Solomon, but he never truly believed it himself.

"Yes, the loss off Restia was enough to trigger the awakening of your dormant strength." Iseria confirmed.

"So, it's true then. I am destined to bring chaos and tyranny to the world. It would have been better if I had died." Kamito dropped his eyes dejectedly.

"You are nothing like Solomon, he was greedy and power hungry. You only seek power to protect those you treasure. You will write a new chapter in the history of the Demon King, but it would be better if we do not reveal our true selves for now. I am sure that the otherworldly darkness will seek to reclaim me and the world still remembers the previous Demon King."

"You said we need to train right?" Iseria nodded. "Where do we start?"

 ******End Flashback******

Finishing putting on his new uniform, Kamito used the mirror to ensure his tie was on straight.

Greyworth stood up and walked around her desk to her office door. She found Ellis standing at attention just outside the door. "Ellis, just the person I wanted to see." Greyworth said with an almost predatory grin.

Ellis gulped and took an involuntary step back, ready to bolt from the feeling of dread flooding her being.

" headmistress?" she asked hesitantly.

"Ellis, I wish for you to give Mr Kazehaya and his contract spirit, Atlantae, a tour of the campus, and locate them suitable lodging. As of today, he is this academy's first male student." Greyworth phrased it as a request, but her tone left no doubt that it was an order.

"B. ..-sigh-..yes headmistress, it would be my honor." Ellis hung her head in defeat.

"If you would please follow me." Ellis walked briskly down the hallway.

"You go ahead, Kamito. I'll catch up with you in a bit. I still have a few matters I would like to discuss with the headmistress, in private." Iseria told Kamito.

Kamito looked at her questioningly then shrugged "Okay..if you say so." He would ask her about it later.

"Don't worry so much, I'll see you soon." Iseria kissed Kamito on the cheek.

Blushing, Kamito shook his head. "Later." He said over his shoulder as he left the office to follow Ellis.

Kamito caught up with Ellis at the end of the hall. "Where is your spirit?" Ellis inquired.

Kamito tipped his head the the direction they had just come from "She said she had something to discuss with the old bat." he shrugged.

"Old bat? I'll have you know that every student here looks up to the headmistress as an example of strength and beauty. I will not allow anyone to insult her good name." Ellis drew her sword and slashed at Kamito. "I'll turn you into beef stew."

Kamito shook his head and caught her sword with a power infused hand much to Ellis's surprise. "Fine, if you feel that strongly about it, I'll try to be nicer. I just know her better than you do." He released the sword and started walking again. "You coming?"

Ellis was standing there dumbfounded. 'How in the hell did he catch her sword barehanded? And where did all that power come from?' The moment he caught her sword, she thought that she was drowning under a sea of divine power. "Just who or what are you Kazehaya Kamito?" she muttered to herself before shaking herself out of her stupor.

' _Is everything alright Kamito?'_ Iseria asked through their link when she felt his power rise.

" _Everything is fine. I merely made the little captain upset and had to calm her down a bit." Kamito replied nonchalantly._

" _So in other words, you pissed her off and then showed off."_ Iseria guessed.

" _Meh."_

"Damned brat." Iseria muttered under her breath.

Greyworth gave Iseria a bemused look. "So, what did you wish to discuss?"

Stepping out into the courtyard, Kamito suddenly felt the eyes of more than a dozen young women on him. He could see looks of fear and confusion to curiosity and interest, as well as a few looks that made him question the purity of some of the so called maidens.

Mistaking Kamito's apprehension for lust, Ellis threatened "If you even think about defiling any maiden, I'll turn you into fugu."

"What is it about you and food? Is it some kind of fetish of yours?" Kamito teased.

"What!? I..I just like to cook." Ellis defended blushing.

Kamito smirked. She really is innocent. "So you mean to tell me that you don't play hide the carrot?"

"That was only a one time thing." Ellis blurted out without thinking.

"... …"

"... …"

Kamito was at a loss for words, he had fully expected her to ask what he meant, not out and admit to such an activity. He could see the fear and shame in Ellis's auburn eyes as they filled with tears.

"Wah!" Ellis burst into tears and tried to run away from the scene. She just made it around the corner of the building when her hand was caught in a vice like grip. Turning to see who had her hand, she saw Kamito standing there with a concerned look on his face.

Kamito pulled her into his arms "Shh, shh. I'm sorry, I went too far with my teasing. I promise, your secret is safe with me." Kamito assured her as she cried into his chest.

Ellis looked up into his eyes sure she would see disgust or rejection in them, but all she saw was concern. "You don't see me as a filthy monster?" Ellis asked in a quiet voice.

"Not at all, I'm sorry for making you cry." Kamito apologized again. "You are a beautiful young woman, not a monster at all." 'And I have met several over the years.' He thought, remembering a girl from the instructional school that called him onii-sama.

'He thinks I'm beautiful?' Ellis started to blush. "To say such nonsense so carelessly, you are proving to be a dangerous man."

After Ellis composed herself, they continued the tour of the campus. Everywhere they went, Kamito could hear groups of girls whispering to each other.

"What's a man doing here?"

"He's wearing a school uniform?" "I heard he is a male elementalist." "Could he be the reincarnation of the Demon King?"

"He's cute, I wonder if he has a girlfriend?" "Hands off, I saw him first."

The whispers and rumors were endless. Kamito breathed a sigh of relief when they left the main building complex and approached the horse stables. "This is where you will be staying as all the dorms are for girls only. You can bathe in the river just beyond the trees, don't try and sneak into the girl's baths or you will regret it." Ellis warned, forcing herself to not use a food reference.

"This is the stables." Kamito noted glumly.

"Not there, beside it." Ellis indicated a ramshackle building leaning precariously against the side.

"Looks like it was built in three days." Kamito frowned.

"Three hours, don't underestimate the abilities of my elemental spirit." Ellis stated proudly holding up three fingers.

Kamito could see the pride Ellis had in her work and sighed. "I guess it can't be helped, I did arrive unannounced rather unexpectedly." Turning to face Ellis, Kamito bowed at the waist "Thank you for taking care of me."

Ellis was taken aback, she had figured he was going to complain at the very least, of not completely reject her work. She blushed lightly at his sincere appreciation. "It..it was nothing, I.I couldn't just expect you to sleep out in the spirit forest after all." Ellis lied, seeing as that was her original intent upon hearing that a male elementalist was coming to the school.

" , afternoon classes start soon, I'll show you to your class." Ellis offered.

"Sure, let's go." Kamito followed her lead. " _Ellis is showing me to the class that I'll be attending. Are you coming?"_ Kamito informed Iseria through their link.

" _I think I'm going to go explore a bit. Did you find out where we are staying?"_ Iseria responded.

" _Umm yeah, about that...actually I think it would be better if you saw it for yourself. It's over by the stables."_ Kamito couldn't bring himself to comment on the shack that Ellis seemed so proud of.

"Here is your class, Raven class. It is home to many talented misfits."

'Talented misfits huh, guess I'll fit right in then.' Kamito chuckled lightly.

Ellis looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Sorry, just think I may have already met one of my classmates is all." Kamito explained.

"There you are, I've been searching all over for you." Claire called out coming around the corner.

"Speaking of the little hellcat." Kamito nodded toward Claire.

"Claire Rouge, how troublesome." Ellis commented. "I'll be on my way then, I'm in Weasel class." Ellis shot Claire a dark look before taking her leave.

"Hello again Miss Elstein, to what do I owe this honor." Kamito gave an exaggerated bow.

"It's Rouge, got it? Now it's time for you to take responsibility." Claire frowned staring into his eyes. There were several girls nearby that heard Claire's demands and started whispering to themselves. Claire, however, did not appear to realize the way her words could be misunderstood.

"And just how do you suggest I do that?" Kamito inquired , already knowing what was coming next.

"Swear that you belong to me. I can be a very kind master if you obey me." Claire declared. She crossed her arms and nodded smugly. The hallway went silent waiting on Kamito's response.

"That almost sounds like a marriage proposal, very bold of you Claire. Although I normally admire strong women that know what they want and aren't afraid to go after it, I just don't think we know each other well enough to take that step." Kamito declined. Claire froze as she reflected on her words. Looking around, Claire could see several girls staring at her, whispering amongst themselves.

"m.m. ?" Claire's blush grew brighter and brighter until steam escaped her ears and she fainted, a puff of steam resembling a spirit escaping from her mouth.

Kamito caught her limp form before she hit the ground. "I think I over did it again." Kamito sighed, setting her down with her back against the wall.

"While there are no rules specifically prohibiting relationships, I can't permit such shameless flirting in public." An authoritative voice surprised Kamito. It was only because of his training at the Instructional School that he was able to appear outwardly calm.

'This person could be potentially problematic, I couldn't even sense her presence until she spoke. I'll have to watch out for her.' Kamito thought to himself as he calmly faced the newcomer. She did not look much older than himself, perhaps in her mid-twenties. She had long black hair and her dark glaring eyes were framed by green black rimmed glasses. She was wearing a charcoal grey dress suit and a long sleeved white robe.

"Of course Sensei. I apologise for my actions." Kamito bowed his head respectfully while silently trying to gauge her strength.

The bespectacled woman nodded curtly as she too tried get a read on the young man in front of her. "Very well, you must be Kazehaya Kamito. I am the Raven Class homeroom instructor, Freya Grandol. Headmistress Greyworth has already informed me of your rather...unique nature."

'Damn that witch, just how much has she told this woman?' Kamito thought with a frown that did not too unnoticed by Freya. The frown was quickly replaced with an easy smile that did not quite reach his eyes. "It's a pleasure to meet you, I'll be in your care."

While Kamito and Freya were conversing, Claire regained consciousness. She noticed that she was sitting with her back to the wall and her legs tucked up under her,preserving her modesty. 'Why am I sitting like this on the floor?' she tried remembering what had happened before she fainted. She could see the back of a pair of trousered legs in front of her and she flushed bright red when the previous conversation came rushing back to her.

'That's right, he was teasing me about marriage before I fainted, but why did he set me against the wall like he did? He's a thief and a pervert, so why?' Claire could not wrap her mind around the enigma that was Kazehaya Kamito.

"Claire Rouge." A voice she knew very well brought her out of her musings. " Freya-Sensei?"

"You would do well to pay more attention to your words and actions to avoid future misunderstandings." Freya scolded.

"Yes Sensei." Claire bowed quickly before scrambling into the classroom to find her seat.

"That girl is going to give me a migraine." Freya muttered while rubbing her temples. "Mr. Kazehaya, please wait at the head of the class until I introduce you."

"Yes Sensei." Kamito acknowledged as he followed her into the room. Kamito stood on the dais with Freya as the last of the students took to their seats. The whispers started immediately. Even though they were all strong elementalists representing noble families, they were still young women, who had led sheltered lives.

"The Demon King is in our class."

"His eyes are scary, he looks like he could kill someone without any remorse."

"I heard he plans on corrupting all the maidens at the school." "With his looks, he won't have much trouble with that." "I wouldn't mind being corrupted by him."

"I wonder if he has a girlfriend?" "Claire Rouge confessed to him in the hallway." "No way! The Calamity Queen's little sister?" "Yeah, and he rejected her." "I saw him walking with Ellis Fahrengart earlier." "The super serious captain of the knights? No fair her getting ahead like that." "I know right?"

Kamito was tempted to speak up, but decided out would be safer to keep his mouth shut. As the last student rushed to her desk, Freya silenced the room with a few taps of her class ledger. "Quiet down unless you want to start having points deducted." With a quick glare at Kamito, she announced "We have a new student joining our class as of today. Now please introduce yourself."

Kamito adjusted his tie and stepped forward "My name is Kazehaya Kamito, age 16. As you have heard, I am a make elementalist. I stand here without any intentions of ill will, let's please be friends." Kamito bowed briefly and stepped back.

"Oh my gosh, he is so cute."

"Wow, he is a smooth talker." "I wonder what else he can do with that silver tongue."

"He seems so normal." "Yeah, nothing like a demon king."

Freya silenced the girls once again with her ledger. "Go ahead and locate a seat."

Kamito glance around and spotted several empty seats. He chose one at an empty desk in the back. Ascending the steps to take his seat, he raised his arm and caught the end of a whip that was aiming for his neck. "Just where do you think you are going? A slave's place is as close to their master as possible."

"Claire Rouge, you are really starting to annoy me." Kamito growled reaching for his divine power. Before he could rip the whip out of her hand though, the whip was severed by an arrow made of ice.

"How unsightly Claire Rouge, it's obvious he is rejecting you." A beautiful blonde girl holding a longbow said as she fluffed her hair. She walked down the steps until she was at eye level with the only male at the school. "Hmm..you're cute enough. If you kneel before me, I'll allow you to be my personal servant."

"Rinslet Laurenfrost, this is none of your concern. He is my slave spirit, so go away." Claire warned grabbing one of Kamito's arms.

"He doesn't seem to share that sentiment, that's why he is going serve me." Rinslet argued grabbing his other arm.

Kamito pinched the bridge of his nose trying to not lose his patience.

"Oh Miss Rinslet…" A young busty woman in a maid outfit ran towards the stairs, tripping on the top step. Suddenly, with the sound reminiscent of a whip crack, papers on nearby desks were blown away by a gust of wind that also blew up both Claire's and Rinslet's skirts revealing their panties. Red and lacy for Claire and white with blue snowflakes for Rinslet. Both girls squealed as they tried to hold down their skirts. Opening their eyes, Kamito was no longer between them. Looking around, they discovered him on the top landing holding the shaking maid in his arms.

"Carol!" Rinslet cried out as she ran up the steps.

"Wow, did you see how fast he moved?"

"Amazing, I never even saw him move."

"Wah! I want him to hold me like that."

Claire just stood there in awe, she was shaken by the amount of divine power he released when he moved to catch Rinslet's maid, Carol.

Carol had felt herself trip and had braced herself for the fall, but she never hit the ground. She felt a strong pair of arms wraps around her and her face was buried in someone's chest. Slowly she stepped back and opened her eyes finding herself lost in a pair of dark orbs that seemed to be hiding a deep sorrow.

Kamito watched as the maid opened her eyes and smiled gently. "Are you okay miss?" She nodded slowly, her eyes never leaving his. "You should be more careful, it would be a shame for any harm to come to a lovely young woman such as yourself." again she nodded, not trusting her voice, her cheeks tinted pink. Kamito released her once he was sure she could stand on her own and took his seat.

"Carol!" Rinslet hugged her maid. "Are you alright?" Carol just nodded still looking at Kamito. "Thank goodness, you really should be more careful Carol."

"Yes milady, I'm sorry." Carol answered with a shaky voice.

Freya was secretly impressed by Kamito's display, although she would never admit it out loud. "Now if everyone would please take their seats, I do have a class to teach." With one final analyzing glance at Kamito, Freya started her lesson.

Kamito found Iseria near the shack that was supposed to be his new home, and judging by the look on her face, she was less than impressed. "This.." Iseria indicated the small building "this is supposed to be our new home?"

"Evidently Greyworth had charged dear Ellis with finding lodging fit for the only known male elementalist, and she wanted to display her feelings towards my presence. She built it herself with the help of her contract spirit in three hours." Kamito shrugged, he had already expected this kind of reaction from Iseria.

"This insult cannot be left unaccounted for, to show such blatant disrespect for the Demon King's successor and an Elemental Lord." Iseria fumed.

Kamito cocked an eyebrow "So, we're going to announce our true identities to the world over poor lodging?"

Iseria glared at Kamito for a few seconds before closing her eyes and blowing out a long breath. "I'm going to go get this remedied immediately." Kamito watched as Iseria stormed off to see Greyworth.

"Well, I guess I should at least check out the accommodations." Kamito sighed. He didn't hold out much hope in getting himself a room in the dorms, they were all female after all. Opening the door, Kamito was actually a bit surprised. The structure was far more sound than it appeared. There was a bed made of straw and a small table and two chairs.

Feeling his stomach rumble, Kamito decided to eat a snack while waiting on Iseria to return. He checked outside to make sure no one was nearby before locking his door. Kamito walked to the center off the small room and raised his right hand.

 **Ancient tomb of the Ancient King!**

 **Recognize me and grant me access!**

Kamito swiped his hand down leaving a tear in the air revealing an array of geometric patterns. Kamito reached in and removed two wrapped bundles. He pulled out a few strips of dried meat and a loaf of bread from the bundles before returning the rest into the void and willing it closed.

Kamito had just sat down to eat when someone knocked on his door. Kamito was tempted to just ignore the visitor, but figured that should at least show the minimum of manners. Standing at the door holding a stabbing bowl was Rinslet Laurenfrost and her maid, Carol.

"Hello again Miss Carol, how are you doing?" Kamito smiled at the maid.

"I'm doing very well Mr Kazehaya, thank you. I would also like to thank you for saving me earlier."

"Think nothing of it, I'm just glad that you are alright. And please call me Kamito." Kamito rerequested.

"Thank you Mr Kamito." Carol bowed.

"Well, that's better I guess." Kamito sighed scratching the back of his head.

Rinslet was flabbergasted. How dare he speak to her maid so casually, and not even acknowledge her? "um hum." She cleared her throat and put on a bright smile.

"Miss Rinslet, to what do I owe this honor?" Kamito smiled at her irritation.

"I thought that you might be hungry, and you don't appear to be able to afford anything from the cafeteria, so I brought you a bowl of soup. Now just kneel and bark like a dog, and I will be willing to bring you on as my servant and will give you the soup." Rinslet felt very proud at her offer.

Kamito looked at the pair with an upraised eyebrow before taking a step back. "Good evening ladies." Kamito shut the door forcefully.

Rinslet stared at the closed door for a full thirty seconds before looking to Carol for advice. Carol smiled and nodded encouragingly toward the door. Rinslet steeled herself and set another bright smile, but kicked at the door in irritation.

Kamito opened the door and leaned his shoulder against the door frame. "yes?"

Rinslet resisted the urge to grind her teeth. "Because you saved my darling Carol earlier, I am willing to overlook your previous slights. I believe you have taken a liking to my maid, so if you agree to become my servant, you will be allowed to spend your free time in her company. All I ask if that you lick my toes." Rinslet smirked victoriously, believing that there would be no way he could refuse her generous offer this time.

Kamito frowned. Rinslet, seeing that he was going to shut the door again, suck her foot in the jamb to prevent it from closing all the way. She bit her lip to keep from crying out but she couldn't stop the couple of tears that gathered in the corners of her eyes.

Kamito opened the door again and waited for her to talk. "Don't you realize how rude it is to shut the door in a lady's face?"

"Is it not the utmost rudeness to assume that someone will be your servant just because that it's what you want? You have been nothing but rude and insulting to me since we met, so tell me, what incentive do I have to treat you differently?" Kamito put his hand on the door preparing to close out again.

Rinslet was stunned to her core, nobody had ever talked to her like that before. Well, there was one person, but they had been friends since childhood. Had she really been that inconsiderate? It was considered a great honor to be employed by the Laurenfrosts, and she thought that he was really cute, so she would have spent plenty of time around him. Why wouldn't he want to spend time with her and Carol?

Kamito could see the troubled look on her face and sighed. "I will not be your servant, but…" Kamito closed his eyes and took a breath. 'I hope I don't regret this.' "I would be willing to be your friend."

Rinslet looked into his eyes and saw the sincerity in them. She could feel her cheeks heating up "Friend? You want to be my friend?"

Kamito nodded once. "Well, I guess I can allow that. After all, with your social skills, you probably won't be able to attract many friends." Rinslet said returning to her previous attitude.

Kamito rolled his eyes and was about to tell her to forget it when Carol spoke up. "What milady is really saying is that she is happy you want to be her friend."

"Carol!" Rinslet turned away blushing madly.

Kamito smiled and shook his head, he would have to get used to these maidens. He was used to Restia and Iseria, both of whom had no qualms speaking their respective minds. "Well, I'll be seeing you in class then. Good evening." Kamito went to shut the door.

"Wait!" Rinslet held out the bowl. "I...Carol made too much..I don't want it to go to waste."

"Thank you, I'll make sure it is well appreciated." Kamito accepted the bowl.

"Rinslet Laurenfrost! What are you doing here?" Everyone looked to see the air shimmering around a fuming redhead, her arms loaded down with cans of food.


	3. Chapter 3

**I would like to thank everyone for all the likes, favorites, and reviews. Enjoy.**

"If it isn't Claire Rouge. What's with all the cans? Your taste in food is as pitiful as your chest." Rinslet said haughtily, thrusting her much larger chest out.

" you." Claire was visibly shaking and several cans exploded due to boiling.

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" Rinslet teased.

"Hmph! It's fitting that your family crest is of a dog, with you chasing after _my_ slave spirit like a dog in heat." Claire spat in anger, crossing her arms over her chest.

"The Laurenfrost crest features the proud and fierce White Wolf, my Fenrir is not just some dog." Rinslet retorted.

"But you didn't deny chasing after Kamito like a dog in heat." Claire taunted.

Kamito had to stifle a chuckle. 'She has you there.'

"Hwah! Y. …." Rinslet's face lit up like a beacon. The temperature around the shack dropped dramatically as a cold wind swirled around the blonde.

Raising her hand in the air, Rinslet chanted " **Oh freezing beast with ice teeth, merciless hunter of the forest! Now is the time to abide the contract of blood, hasten to my side as commanded!**

Snow formed in the swirling air until Rinslet was no longer visible. The wind then died down and standing next Rinslet was a massive white wolf. Frost spread across the ground near his paws.

"This is a proper contract spirit, much better than your little pussy cat. She would end up just being a snack for my Fenrir here." Rinslet laughed brushing her hair up with one hand.

"Scarlet might be small, but she is more than a match for your little ice mutt." Claire responded angrily.

" **Guardian of the crimson blaze, Keeper of the undying hearth! Now is the time to abide by our blood contract, come forth and do my bidding!"**

The ground around Claire's feet darkened as the emanating from her increased. Scarlet, Claire's hellcat contract spirit, appeared in a flash of flame and immediately leapt on top of the shack to gain the high ground.

Ellis had been carrying a wrapped bundle when she encountered Kamito's contract spirit, Atlantae if she remembered correctly. Ellis could tell but the way she held herself that the spirit wasirritated about something.

"You're Kazehaya Kamito's spirit, right?" Ellis inquired.

"Yes, what of it?" Iseria answered gruffly. She was not in the mood for small talk, especially this girl.

"We were not formally introduced earlier; I am Ellis Fahrengart, captain of the Syphlid Knights." Ellis introduced herself, curtsying politely.

"I am Atlantae, and I already know who you are." Courtesy dictated that manners should be greeted with manners, but Ellis could still feel an underlying anger directed at her.

"Is there something troubling you, miss Atlantae?" Ellis asked.

"Yes, the lodging you provided for Kamito and myself is less than adequate." Iseria stated bluntly.

"Wait, you are sharing a residence with a male? Such indecency for him to force you to stay with him. I was right not trust that man." Ellis said indignantly. Ellis almost tripped when Iseria started laughing.

"You think he is forcing me to stay in a room with him?" Iseria chuckled.

"He must, men are just perverted pigs that want to defile young women." Ellis nodded, convinced of her facts.

"Fufufu, even _if_ Kamito was as you describe, he could not force me to do anything. I stay with him because I desire to do so. He is a kind hearted gentleman who would gladly forego his own comfort and well-being for others. I have told him that it is unbefitting for a person of his station, but I guess that is one of the main reasons I choose to contract with him. You do him a disservice every time you speak poorly of him." Iseria disliked it when someone discriminated against Kamito just because of his gender, she knew how much pain and suffering that our boy had endured.

The two females started walking toward the hut again. Ellis considered Iseria's words, and came to the conclusion that she had been treating him unfairly, but it had only been a day. She would have to keep an eye on him to see how his actions would speak for him. Iseria noticed the package that Ellis was carrying and inquired about it. "What do you have in that bundle there?" The smell of home cooked food wafted from under the cloth.

Ellis froze for a moment. "Err..well.."

 ******Flashback-Earlier that day******

Kamito and Ellis had just left the cluster of dorm buildings while on their tour of the campus.

"I wanted to make sure you knew which buildings were the dorms so you could not try and claim ignorance later." Ellis glared at Kamito in accusation.

Kamito sighed "How many times do I have to tell you, I don't have any plans on trying anything perverted." Kamito paused for a moment. "Unless you are hoping I would try something with you." Kamito couldn't resist teasing her a bit.

"Hwa?!" Ellis flushed bright red and started sputtering incoherent denials. Kamito chuckled lightly as he watched her reaction.

"You really are quite cute when you get flustered." Kamito casually remarked, putting his hands behind his head as they walked.

" ? Quit saying such nonsense so casually." Ellis's blush intensified.

They stopped at the cafeteria and Ellis saw Kamito wince when he saw the prices. He purchased an anpan and a coffee while Ellis only got a milk tea with honey. They found a bench to sit on to enjoy a short break. Kamito had finally gotten used to all the stares that he was receiving and decided to tune out the whispers for now.

Ellis sat with perfect posture as she slowly sipped at her drink whereas Kamito was slouched back comfortably, looking at the clear blue sky. Sitting up, Kamito retrieved his bread and broke off a piece which he offered to Ellis. She looked at him suspiciously but accepted the bread with a muttered "thank you."

Even though she was taking dainty lady like bites, Ellis still ended up with a small spot of bean paste on her cheek. Kamito smiled and pulled out his handkerchief. Feeling him touch her cheek, Ellis leapt to her feet and drew her sword, pointing it threateningly at his chest. Kamito continued to sit on the bench without any signs of concern.

"I do believe that would set a bad precedent for the captain of the knights to have a messy face." Kamito smiled. Ellis glared at him for a moment longer, her cheeks dusted a light shade of red, before she sheathed her sword. Standing and stretching, Kamito asked "You said you enjoy cooking?"

Ellis nodded "Yes, it is a bit of a hobby of mine. One day I will be married, so I am practicing now so that I can satisfy my future husband's needs."

Kamito wanted to tease her about her wording, but decided that would be too cruel for such an honest answer. "Really? If the time ever presents itself, I would not mind sampling some of your offerings."

"Yes, I guess if the time presents...wait, no! My cooking is to be enjoyed by my future husband, not by the likes of you." Ellis turned away in a huff.

"That's too bad, I consider myself to have quite a good palate." Kamito frowned for a moment. He sighed and continued to follow Ellis on the tour, walking with his hands behind his head.

 *****Later that day*****

"Captain!" Ellis looked up from the book she was studying to see who called her. Two girls were approaching her desk wearing light armor similar to her own.

"Rakka, Reisha, what can I do for you?" Ellis asked her subordinates.

"Did you hear about Raven Class?" Rakka giggled. She had short black hair and deep purple eyes.

Ellis sighed and put her head I'm her hand "Not even here for a full day and he is already causing trouble. Tell me, what did that man do?"

The two girls stared blankly at their captain for a moment. "What?" Ellis asked impatiently.

"Well, thing is, he wasn't the cause of the disturbance." Rakka started. Ellis crossed her arms over her chest waiting for the story to continue.

"It was that flat chested firebrand, Claire Rouge, and the Ice Demon, Rinslet Laurenfrost, who started arguing over the ownership of the male elementalist, what's his name again?" Reisha touched her cheek with her finger, trying to remember. Reisha had long braided hair the color of a fine tea and green eyes.

"Kazehaya Kamito." Ellis supplied.

"Yeah, that's him. Is he really as hot as the rumors say?" Reisha asked.

Ellis blushed and looked away, mumbling something unintelligible. Giving her head a quick shake, Ellis asked "What else happened?

"You know that clumsy, wanna be maid that Rinslet keeps around?" Ellis nodded. "She tripped on the top step while coming to her master's side."

"What a clutz." Reisha giggled. She quickly stopped when Ellis shot her a warning glare.

"Kamito was able save her though. He was able to catch her and put her back on the top step." Rakka finished.

"I heard he moved so fast that no-one saw him even move." Reisha added.

"Is that so? I think I'll have to look into what really happened." Ellis commented. 'Perhaps I was too quick to judge him.'

 ******End Flashback******

"I thought I would take Kamito some food. I didn't think he would have had time to get to the academy town yet." Ellis answered, a blush forming on her cheeks as her voice raised in pitch as she spoke.

"Hmm...I see." Iseria nodded. "That was very kind of you." Iseria's smile didn't quite reach her eyes. "How about I go ahead and take that for you? No sense of you making the trip all the way out here when I am already heading that way." Iseria was still irritated at the disrespect this girl had shown since they had arrived, and she would be damned if she allowed these princess maidens to chase after Kamito's heart.

"Err..um..It's no bother, I was going on patrol anyway." Ellis gripped the bundle tighter in her hand.

Iseria was about to argue again when they heard a loud commotion up ahead in the direction of the shack.

 **...Now is the time to abide the contract of blood! Hasten to my side as commanded!**

A noticeable drop in temperature could be felt by the two females. "..!..A spirit summoning? Here on campus?" Ellis wondered aloud in concern.

Iseria closed her eyes, searching her memories for this familiar energy. Her eyes popped open as it came to her 'That's the contacted spirit for the Laurenfrost family, Fenrir. Not good, she could possibly recognize me.'

 **Guardian of the crimson blaze, Keeper out the undying hearth!**

Temporarily forgetting their quarrel, Ellis and Iseria broke into a sprint. Iseria was the first to arrive, getting there just in time to see the hellcat, Scarlet, appear from a ball of flame and leap into the roof of the structure. Kamito, who had been leaning against the door frame watching impassively, jumped to the roof and grabbed Scarlet by the scruff of the neck before the building could catch fire.

"Hey! What are you doing?! Drop Scarlet now!" Claire cried out seeing Kamito holding her contract spirit as arms length away from himself.

Scarlet hissed and swiped claws of fire at the male elementalist. When that failed, she increased the temperature of her flaming fur, burning Kamito's hand.

"Shit!" Kamito released the angry spirit and shook his burnt hand. Scarlet scurried over to Claire and leapt onto her shoulder, glaring at Kamito.

"What is going on here?!" Demanded an enraged Iseria. Everyone turned to see the blue haired beauty walking toward them, her hair fluttering behind her, with at least a dozen glowing blue orbs floating around her.

"Well damn, I had better stop her before she hurts these girls." Kamito walked past Claire and Rinslet cutting Iseria off. ' _Calm down, it's not worth it.'_ Iseria glared at him a moment before taking a few calming breaths.

Claire looked at the angry spirit with trepidation. She remembered how her flametongue had been neutralized by the water spirit. 'This is why I need a more powerful spirit, if I cannot win here against them, I have no hope of winning the blade dance.'

Rinslet did not recognise the spirit that was approaching them from the direction of the school. Leaning to Carol who had come to get master's side, she asked "Do you know who she is? She seems familiar, but I just can't place her."

Carol shook her head "No milady, I have never seen her likeness before."

Rinslet was just about to ask the newcomer who she was when she heard whimpering behind her. Fenrir had his head low and his tail tucked firmly between his legs and he was noticeably shaking in fear. Rinslet had never seen Fenrir act in such a manner before.

"Why am I not surprised to see you two causing trouble?" Ellis glared at Claire and Rinslet.

"This does not concern the knights. I just came to check up on my slave spirit when I discovered this blonde poacher trying to steal him away from me." Claire claimed crossing her arms over her small chest.

"I merely came to offer Kamito the honor of serving the Laurenfrost family, but this washboard interrupted our negotiations." Rinslet flipped her hand through her platinum locks.

"Capitan!" "Captain Ellis." A pair of female voices called out coming down the path.

"Reisha, Rakka." Ellis nodded in greeting to her subordinates.

"We heard that there was a disturbance down here from some of the spirits and we came to investigate." Rakka explained.

"But it was only a couple of Raven Class misfits." Reisha continued.

Claire and Rinslet bristled at the two girls' tones. Kamito was curious how Ellis would handle the situation. From dealing with her earlier in the day, Kamito had come to the realization that, although she was a little quick jumping to conclusions, Ellis was honorable and took pride in her position as the captain of the Syphlid Knights and truly sought to preserve the peace and harmony at the academy. And what could cause more discord at an all girl school than admitting a male into their population.

"It should not be surprising to find the Ice Demon, Rinslet Laurenfrost, causing trouble. The Laurenfrost name might be big, but that doesn't change the fact that they are just a bunch of backwoods nobles." Rakka sneered.

"Who are you calling a backwoods noble?" Rinslet growled out, willing Fenrir to change into his long bow waffe form.

"And don't forget about the Calamity Queen's little sister, she should be sitting in a cage with the rest of her family." Reisha quipped snidely.

"What did you just say? Do not consider yourself worthy of even speaking of my sister." the air around Claire started to rotate into a heat vortex under her anger.

"That's enough!" a blast of wind had all the girls grabbing at the hems of their skirts in an attempt to keep their modesty. Looking for the source of the wind, everyone turned toward Ellis who had one hand in the air and the other securely holding her skirt in place.

'That was quite effective.' Kamito smirked.

"You two!" Ellis indicated Rakka and Reisha. "No matter their specific circumstances, the students at this academy are of noble birth and will be treated with due respect."

"Yes Captain!" Both knights responded, snapping to attention.

"And you two." Ellis directed her attention towards Claire and Rinslet. "Materializing your elemental spirit in a personal dispute is strictly prohibited. I will be filing an official report with your homeroom teacher, she will inform you of your punishment."

"Now, you two come with me and I will take care of your punishment myself." Rakka and Reisha both gulped and wondered what their captain would make them do.

Kamito was impressed with Ellis' handling of the situation, but he believed that she could have stepped in earlier to prevent the current tension for forming to begin with.

"Are you running away?" Claire asked angrily causing Ellis to freeze in her tracks. "I guess the knights are all talk and no action. Ellis Fahrengart, I, Claire Rouge, challenge you to a duel."

"What did you just say?" Ellis hissed.

"I guess they are deaf as well." Rinslet added.

"Milady, please calm down." Carol pleaded.

"I am calm Carol. I cannot just sit by idly while the Laurenfrost name is slandered." Rinslet gave Carol a look that said 'stay out of this'.

"Let me spell it out for you then." Claire smiled coldly. "We challenge the three of you to a blade dance."

"That would be three on two, hardly a fair and honorable fight. We decline." Ellis stated firmly. She could not tolerate insults to the knights, but to fight an uneven fight was an even larger dishonor.

"It will be three on three. Kamito will obviously fight with us against you." Claire stated matter of factly.

"Oh really? And who says that I have any intention of fighting alongside you?" Kamito asked crossing his arms.

"Of course your place is at your master's side in battle." Claire replied irritably.

"I refuse, I have not and never will be your slave. If not for me, you would be dead right now." There was a hard edge to Kamito's voice that none of them had heard before. Claire took an involuntary step back as she's looked on in fear. The air was becoming oppressive as Kamito's irritation grew. The plant life near his feet began to wither and die. Iseria placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him. When he looked at her, she shook her head. Understanding that this was not the time or place, Kamito forced himself to calm down.

"Kazehaya Kamito, I would like to challenge you to a duel." Ellis stepped in front of the young man and placed her hands on her hips.

Kamito looked into her eyes for a moment before she looked away blushing slightly. Shrugging, Kamito agreed "Sure, sounds interesting."

"Then meet me at the Astral Gate at two in the morning." Ellis informed him and turned to leave. "You two, with me." She led Rakka and Reisha down the path, forgetting that she had brought food for Kamito.

"I guess you will be wanting to join my team then." Claire assumed. "If you get down on your kn…"

"Not likely. She challenged me alone after declining your challenge, so I don't see why your involvement is necessary." Kamito interrupted.

"You stupid jerk!" Claire cried, running back in the direction of the dorms.

"Claire!" Rinslet shot Kamito a dirty look before chasing after the redhead.

Carol looked pleadingly at Kamito, but he just shook his head. "It was something that had to be said. She needs to learn she can't always have things her way. I will not sacrifice my pride to appease her sense of entitlement."

"She may not seem it to you, but the Lady Claire is a very sweet girl inside, but she has had a very rough time since the incident four years ago." Carol tried to defend.

"I'm sorry, but that does not excuse her behavior. She is not the only person to have a difficult life. This experience will be difficult for her, but it is an important lesson for her to learn." Kamito closed his eyes and turned away from the maid. Carol nodded sadly and left to follow her master.

Iseria moved to stand beside Kamito, who put an arm around her shoulders. She could see how much out pained him to talk to Claire like he had. "She may not know it now, and she may never realize it, but you did her a huge favor saying what you did. The world is an uncaring place." Iseria hugged Kamito and kissed his cheek.

Turning to the small shack Ellis had constructed, Kamito walked inside "You coming? It's really not that bad inside."

Iseria turned to leave "Well, if you really want to stay here, that's fine, but I came to tell you that Greyworth granted us room in the dorms for visiting elementalists." She tried to hide her smile when she saw Kamito's surprised reaction.

"What did that cost to get her to agree to that?" Kamito inquired.

"You'll find out later." Iseria smiled sweetly at Kamito. Kamito looked back at the shack and wondered if it was worth the trouble the nicer room would bring. But then again, not going would be troublesome in its own right, so why not be comfortable.

Kamito grabbed the soup and his sandwich before exiting the shack for the last time.

"So why did you accept Ellis's challenge?" Iseria inquired as they walked toward their new home.

Kamito shrugged "I could feel her determination and she has not tried to claim ownership over me. Besides, I'm curious as to how strong the captain of the guard is."

"Hmm.." Iseria nodded "So, what's your plan?"

"I'm just trying to test her strength, so, if you don't mind, I'm going ask you to sit this one out. Even holding back as much as possible, the fight would be over far too quickly if we fight together." Kamito answered easily.

Iseria smiled "Have you tried summoning the demon slayer yet?" Iseria silently agreed with Kamito about her role in the duel.

"Hehe, with everything going on today, I kind of forgot." Kamito said scratching the back of his head. He raised his right hand into the air and infused the seal with divine power, but before he could even start reciting the summoning incantation, severe pain radiated from the seal breaking his concentration.

Muttering a few curses, Kamito gripped his right hand. "I guess she is being a bit stubborn." Iseria commented.

"Really, you think so?" Kamito hissed between clenched teeth.

"Give her time, she just needs to get to know you first." Iseria giggled. They arrived at the visitors dorms about the same time Ellis came around on her patrol.

"Where do you think you're going? I told you that the dorms are off limits to males." Ellis stepped between them and the entrance.

"Headmistress Greyworth has granted us use of one of the suites in the dorm for the visiting elementalists. She seemed rather put out with the news of our treatment by the Syphlid Knights." Iseria stated with an accusatory glare.

"You were so dissatisfied with the home I built for you that you sent your spirit to talk to the headmistress?" Ellis leveled her own glare on Kamito.

"Not at all, but when offered civilized comforts, I would be a fool not to accept." Kamito replied calmly.

Ellis looked at the both of them scowling "Fine, but know this, I will be keeping my eye on you. Don't think I have forgotten about our duel either. You better be there on time."

"It's a date." Kamito replied with a mischievous smile.

"A d. ! , that would be improper." Ellis blushed furiously scurrying away quickly.

"That wasn't very nice." Iseria hit Kamito in the arm.

"What?" Kamito smiled innocently.

"Getting her worked up like that, you should be ashamed of yourself." Iseria frowned. She always hated it when Kamito teased other females.

In the three years since they met, they had traveled across the kingdoms searching for clues about Restia. Some nights, Iseria would stay up wondering if Kamito would spend as much time and energy searching for her if she vanished. She knew it was impractical to have such feelings, but being around him had awakened something within her that she didn't quite understand.

Iseria unlocked the door to their suite of rooms. Inside there were two bedrooms on opposite sides of a common sitting room, a bathroom with water closet, and a small kitchenette. Seeing the decor, Iseria could not stifle the giggle that left her lips.

"God I really hate that woman. That's it, I'm going back to Ellis's shack." Kamito turned to leave but Iseria grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Come on, it's not that bad." Iseria continued to laugh. It was a room dedicated to Ren Ashbell. There were paintings of her in battle poses along with others of her in different dresses. Above the fireplace was a replica of the Vorpal Sword that she was known for. Everywhere they looked had images of Restia's spirit brand that was covered by the glove on his left hand.

Kamito wished he could just throw everything in the fireplace and torch it, but this was a special guest room, so he would just have live with it. Looking around again, Kamito sighs "The least they could have done was give me a portion of the royalties they made off this junk."

There was plenty of time before he was supposed to meet Ellis, so he decided to eat the soup that Rinslet had brought him. He retrieved a fire spirit crystal from the pantry and activated it with a small amount of divine power. After the soup was sufficiently reheated, Kamito offered to split it and the sandwich he had made earlier with Iseria, who graciously accepted.

"This is quite good." Kamito complimented the soup.

"Yes, truly befitting the House of Laurenfrost." Iseria concurred. Kamito raised an eyebrow I'm silent question. Iseria sighed "I am well acquainted with the Laurenfrost family. I believe it was four years ago, a young princess maiden was performing a kagura dance in my honor when the otherworldly darkness invaded her soul. To prevent the darkness from establishing a foothold in this world, I sealed get and the darkness in never melting ice. Rinslet bears a striking resemblance to the maiden that I imprisoned."

"I see. We have traversed near Laurenfrost lands before coming here, why choose now to mention it?" Kamito asked. "Can you undo the curse?"

"I can dispel the ice, but I do not have the ability to remove the darkness." Iseria admitted. "Though it is said that the Sacred Sword of Suleiman has the ability remove curses. That is a part of the reason I wanted you to contract with her."

"I see." Kamito sat back rubbing his chin. "That would be a very handy ability." Kamito considered that situation for a few moments. "Okay, after the blade dance in two months, we will travel to the Laurenfrost territory and see if we can't free the young maiden. Now then, what information did Greyworth share?"

Iseria was quiet for a few moments."She was able to confirm our suspicions, the otherworldly darkness is gathering strength. Because your wish three years ago was unable to be fulfilled, the other Lords could not release any of the excess energy. That, along with losing my stabilizing presence, is why they require teams of five this year." Iseria paused and Kamito could tell it was not good news. "She also informed me of happenings in the Alphas' territory. It seems there was a coup d'etat, and the former hierarchy was overthrown."

"Who lead the coup?" Kamito set down his soup spoon, suddenly no longer hungry.

"Rajihal's daughter, Sjora Kahn." Iseria answered solemnly.

"Damn, the witch of the theocracy. At least we could negotiate with Rajihal. What do we know about Sjora? Is she someone we can sway to our side?" Kamito mused.

"That would not be wise, she is even more hard line than her father was. You would have to reveal your true self to her to gain her support, but that would also gain condemnation from the rest of the world." Iseria dissuaded.

"That's true." Kamito leaned back in his chair and rubbed his chin in thought. "We should wait and see what her next move is then."

"I agree, and that was Greyworth's opinion as well." Iseria voiced.

Kamito stood up and stretched. "Well, it's about time. Care to join me?" he gave an exaggerated bow and held out his hand. Iseria giggled and accepted his hand as she stood up from her chair. It was times like this that made her heart speed up.

"Yes, let's go." Iseria looked away so Kamito would not see the blush dusting her cheeks.

"Where are we going milady?" Carol asked following after Rinslet.

"We're going to go watch the fight between Kamito and that Ellis from the knights. I want to see what he is really capable of if just the mere presence of his contracted spirit can frighten my Fenrir." Rinslet answered honestly..

Ellis was walking quietly with Rakka and Reisha while deep in thought. Kazehaya Kamito was as enigma. She had challenged him so she could see if his blade would reveal some of his secrets.

They arrived at the Astral Gate but didn't see anyone else around. "Think he will show?"Rakka asked.

"Such little faith, I'm hurt." A voice sounded behind the girls.

"Kyah!" "Gyah!" "Eep!" the three knights squealed cutely as they spun around. Leaning up against a pillar with his hands in his pockets was a smiling Kamito. Standing next to him was Atlantae with an exasperated looked on her face.

Ellis was about to start the incantation to transport them to Astral Zero when the sounds of footsteps could be heard coming down the path. Kamito had an amused smirk as he could recognize Rinslet's divine power signature, and since the other presence was that of a non-elementalist, he had to assume that Carol was with her.

"See Carol, I told you I would get us here in time." Rinslet told her maid.

"Yes, milady only got lost twice this time." Carol giggled.

"Carol!" Rinslet looked away blushing.

"Why are you here Ice Demon Rinslet Laurenfrost?" Ellis asked impatiently.

"Is it against school rules to want to watch a duel?" Rinslet asked indignantly. Ellis raised an eyebrow at that.

"What milady really wants to say is Mr Kazehaya has piqued her interest and she wants to see how he handles himself." Carol spoke from behind Rinslet's back.

"Carol! Don't say such things!" thud thud thud. Rinslet cried out while hitting her balled up fists on the giggling maid's back.

"You don't have be so formal with me, Carol, call me Kamito." Kamito addressed the young maid.

"Okay Mr Kamito." Carol said hesitantly, blushing slightly.

"That's better, I guess." Kamito sighed.

Ellis recited the incantation to activate the gate and the group of teens were transported to the world of spirits, Astral Zero. Kamito looked around noticing that they were in what looked like an amphitheater. Taking a deep breath, her tested the air and did a few warm up stretches. "This should do nicely."

"Shouldn't you ready your contact spirit?" Ellis asked confused when she saw Atlantae moving to sit with the others that were going to spectate.

"I'm just going to observe for now." the female spirit stated. "I will join in if necessary."

"Do you think so lightly of me to think you can win without the use of your spirit?" Ellis glared daggers at Kamito.

"Not at all, if I thought that little about you, I would not have accepted the duel." Kamito responded honestly. "Atlantae is extremely powerful, but she is very draining, so I generally only resort to using her if I have to."

"You will regret not taking this seriously." Ellis exclaimed. "Taste the power of the wind. Simorgh!"

The winds in the arena picked up and formed a swirl of dust causing Kamito to cover his eyes momentarily. When he was able to see again, he was surprised to see a large hawk flying in a circle above the amphitheater. 'So, that is her contract spirit, huh? Not bad.' Kamito observed. The hawk dove at Kamito who just ducked under the grasping talons followed by sidestepping the next attack. Simorgh screeched in frustration. The spirit tried to surprise Kamito by launching blades of wind at him from its wings.

Kamito grunted loudly when one of the wind blades hit him full on. He was knocked across the arena floor disappearing in a dust cloud formed by the other wind blades striking the ground around him. Ellis smirked in satisfaction thinking that Kamito was finished. Rinslet and Carol looked on in worry as Rakka and Reisha cheered for their captain. Iseria looked on impassively, already knowing the outcome of this battle.

Ellis was watching as the dust settled and was stunned to see Kamito standing with only a tear in his shirt. 'He took that hit straight on, there is no way he should be standing.'

Kamito looked down at the rip in his shirt "That was a good attack, you really have potential." Kamito stated while removing his ruined shirt as he still had on an undershirt. His hands became encased in light as he willed his power into them. In each hand a short sword appeared, these were not elemental waffe, but were a product of spirit magic called weapon works.

Seeing the swords appear, Ellis knew she needed to summon her waffe to defend herself. " **Evil winds, pierce through my sworn enemy's heart, become a demonic spear and lodge within my hand!"** Simorgh vanished in a scattering of light particles and a shaft of light appeared in Ellis' hand. The light coalesced into a large spear with delicate patterns engraved on the handle. There were two smaller blades projecting from the base of the large main blade forming a trident of sorts. Reflected in the red moonlight, Kamito could see a vortex of winds emanating from the blades of the spear. "This is my elemental waffe: Ray Hawk."

"Beautiful." Kamito said quietly.

"Yes, I do believe that it is a lovely weapon." Ellis agreed.

"The waffe is too, but I was refering to you." Kamito admitted honestly. He could feel killing intent coming from the group of spectators. Looking their direction, Kamito could see everyone scooting away from Iseria, whose hair was starting to levitate from the power she was releasing. " _Calm down Iseria, I was just making an observation. You are always beautiful in my eyes."_ Kamito attempted to calm down the irritated Elemental Lord.

" _Hmph!"_ Iseria looked away and pouted. Kamito knew he would have to make it up to her later.

"Bea..beautiful? shouldn't be so casual with a maiden's heart. You must really be the Demon King of the night." Ellis blushed and swept some of her hair behind her ear. Kamito readied his stance and Ellis, taking note of this, adjusted her grip on her waffe. "Evil winds,go and rampage!" Ellis swung her Ray Hawk, launching several wind blades at Kamito. Kamito pushed more of his divine power into the swords and quickly cut through the wind blades, destroying his manifested swords in the process. Before Ellis could register what he had just done, Kamito used thunderclap to instantly close the distance between them, and charged his fist with divine power and punched her in the solar plexus, effectively knocking her out.

Kamito gently caught Ellis before she could fall to the ground and carefully carried her over to the waiting group of girls. Suddenly he stiffened up. There was a small twinge of pain from his left hand. This was the first time since he was separated from her that he had felt anything from the seal. The other thing he was aware of was the mass of demonic spirit energy he could feel heading their way. Turning to look, one of the walls on the opposite side of the amphitheater exploded. Debris from the damaged wall rained down on the group. They all stared in disbelief as a large dark shape materialized in the dust cloud. Ellis started to stir in Kamito's arms, so he set her on a step.

Ellis looked around dazed for a few moments before she regained her bearings. Seeing the shadow in the dust cloud, Ellis gasped "A demon spirit, here?"

From the dust cloud a large for emerged. It was all black in color, standing around seven foot tall. It's deformed shape was rather grotesque with one arm bulging with muscle and the other withered and shrunken. Lacking a neck, the demon's head rested firmly on its shoulders. It's eyes were blood red and glowing slightly and a mouth full of teeth that would make a shark envious. Roaring loudly, it picked up a boulder and hurled it at the group of young elementalists, missing by mere meters.

Kamito moved to stand between the girls and the demon spirit with Iseria by his side. "You ready to do this?" Iseria nodded.

" **Mistress of the tempest seas, protector of waters near and far! Now is the time to abide the contact made in blood, become my blades to purify the world!"**

 **A.N:**

 **So concludes chapter three. How horrible is it of me to stop right there? Thank you everybody for reading. I know that I have been kind of focusing on Ellis, but next chapter will have Claire attempting to win Glasya-Labolas. We will also see the introduction of Est and of course we will see Iseria's waffe. Hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Comments are always welcome. Have a great day. Peace.**


	4. Chapter 4

**I would like to wish everyone a late Merry Christmas. I tried to have this ready for Christmas, but I refuse to let my quality and content suffer to get the story out faster. Thank you for reading, hope you enjoy the story.**

As Kamito finished the incantation, the arena was inundated with divine power. 'Is this Kamito's true strength? No wonder he was able to defeat me so effortlessly, I stood no chance against power such as this.' Ellis thought as she used her spear to support herself from collapsing under the overwhelming pressure.

'It's as if we are in the presence of an Elemental Lord, where is all his power coming from?' Rinslet practically screamed in her head.

Everyone stared in awe as the spirit they knew as Atlantae raised her face and arms to the sky and started glowing a blinding blue. She vanished in a spray of blue sparks only to appear as a shaft of blue light in Kamito's hands. As the light faded, it was revealed that Kamito was now holding a double bladed sword with a blue cord wrapped grip and waves etched into each of the blades on the opposite sides of the tsuka. The tsuba at the base of each blade was molded into the shape of the swirling waves of a whirlpool. Rinslet and Reisha, both being water attribute users with their ice spirits, could feel the moisture in the air being manipulated.

" **Churn the waters, Charybdis."**

The demon spirit roared loudly and charged at Kamito, bringing back its larger more heavily muscled arm to swipe at Kamito. With a twist of the grip, the weapon in his hands separated into two individual swords. Water began coalescing along the length of the blades. Kamito swung the swords in quick succession, launching a crescent shaped blade of water with each swing.

The first water blade severed the demon's massive arm from its body. The next one struck the demon horizontally across the torso, cleaving in two. Each successive slash sliced the demon into smaller pieces. After the last swing, Kamito reattached the two swords, and temporarily forgetting he had an audience, spun the dual blade so it was held behind his back with his left hand and extended his right hand with the palm out. " **Hado 33: Sokatsui** " A wave of pure blue energy fired from his palm at the disappearing demon spirit, completely obliterating it.

The girls watching Kamito sat in stunned silence at the display of power they had just seen. They had never seen such a high level demon spirit such as the one that had just attacked them defeated by a single elementalist before.

Kamito's waffe faded into blue light particles and Atlantae was once again by his side. ' _Nice job concealing you powers.'_ Iseria commented sarcastically.

Kamito rubbed the back of his head ' _I guess I went a little overboard there.'_ He was breathing slightly hard from expending so much power in a short amount of time.

' _A little?'_ Iseria shook her head. ' _Well, the damage is done, so let's see how bad the fallout is.'_

Kamito and Iseria approached the group of girls as they managed to recover from their shock. Ellis quickly walked up to Kamito and bowed deeply at the waist "Please join the Syphlid Knights, a power such as yours would be a great benefit to the protection of this school."

"No fair captain! You're stealing a march on us!" the other girls cried out.

"I.I'm not stealing a march!" Ellis denied.

Kamito was surprised by her request. He wanted to keep a low profile, but there was something in the way Ellis asked that made him want to consider joining. "Thank you for the offer, but I will need time to consider. I only just arrived here and have not yet adjusted."

"Oh, of course, please think about it though." Ellis sighed.

"You were so amazing." "I have never seen a waffe like that before, it is so beautiful." "What kind of spell was that? Was it a type of annihilation magic?" "How did you get so strong?" The girls were bombarding him with questions and comments so quickly he couldn't tell who was saying what. Stepping back, Kamito raised his hands defensively.

' _My my, look who's becoming mister popular.'_ Iseria commented dryly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"It's getting late, I think we should be getting back to the academy." Kamito suggested, yawning to emphasize his point. Grumbling discontentedly, the others agreed that it was time to turn in.

Arriving back at their room, Kamito flopped onto his bed while Iseria sat next to him. "That was certainly interesting." Kamito said aloud. Deciding to shower in the morning, Kamito stripped down to his boxers to get ready for bed. Turning around, he discovered Iseria already in his bed. "You know what? I'm too tired to argue tonight." Kamito sighed. Pulling back the covers, Kamito caught sight of what Iseria was wearing. She had on a sheer ice blue camisole, which did little to conceal her pert c-cup breasts, and similarly colored bikini panties. Kamito could feel his blood flowing south and had to close his eyes and clear his mind to keep his body from reacting.

Iseria pouted a little when Kamito failed to react to her choice of night wear, but smiled and sighed contentedly when she snuggled in close to him and rested her head on his shoulder. "Good night Kamito."

"Good night Iseria."

Kamito found himself in an unfamiliar room. Looking around, he appeared to be in a shrine of some sort. On the far wall was a sword displayed on an ornate stand. The sword looked familiar, but he could not remember from where. He bowed respectfully as he entered the shrine. Reaching for the sword, Kamito was surprised to see, not his arm, but the arm of a young woman. He looked at the reflection in the sword blade and saw a young maiden around fourteen years old with beautiful gold blonde hair. Kamito recognized the reflection as that of Arieshia Idriss, the Sacred Queen that had vanquished the previous Demon King, Solomon.

"Are these the memories of the sword spirit?" Kamito asked aloud.

"Demon King, why do you seek my power? Do you desire conquest?" Kamito turned to the source of the voice to see a very young girl of around twelve or thirteen. She had silver white hair and large violet eyes that contrasted with her porcelain white skin. She stood there expressionless with her hands to her sides, waiting for Kamito's answer. Behind him, the memory continued on.

In a flash of light, the sword changed into a young girl with silver white hair and large violet eyes and a blank expression. "Who are you?" Areishia asked the young girl.

"I am your sword milady. I will give myself wholly and completely to my elementalist, you." The spirit said.

" **For what purpose do you seek power**?" The spirit asked Kamito again.

"What is your name?" Arieshia asked the spirit in the memory.

" **To protect**." Kamito answered after much thought. " **I wish to be able to protect those dear to me and as well those around me. I will use my power to save the world from the darkness that is threatening to devour it. I have promised to release the Elemental Lords from the bonds of insanity. I have the blessing of the Water Elemental Lord, Iseria Seaward, to aide in my quest.** " Kamito became more confident in his answer as he continued.

"My true name cannot be pronounced in your language, but in the spirit language, my name is Terminus Est." The spirit answered Arieshia.

Terminus Est regarded Kamito silently while she considered his answer. Finally she closed her eyes " **Master, I am your sword. I am yours to command.** "

"This name sounds a little long… How about I just call you Est?" Areishia asked.

"My name is not Est, it is Terminus Est." The Est in the memory insisted.

"I'd rather not, it's quite hard to say. It is decided, your name shall be Est." Areishia made up her mind and reached out to pet Est on the head.

"Mistress, please do not do that." Est protested.

" **Then it is decided, I shall call you Est as well**." Kamito informed the sword spirit. Kamito pet Est on the head.

" **Master, please do not do that**." The current Est protested, sounding just as she did when Areishia had done the same thing a millennia prior.

" **Est.** " Kamito addressed his newest contract spirit.

" **Yes master**?" Est gave her attention to Kamito.

" **Let's take care of one another**." Kamito smiled and placed his hand on her head again.

" **Fwah. Yes master, for I am your sword**." Est responded with closed eyes.

Kamito awoke early as was his norm so he could go for a run before he took his morning shower. This morning though, Kamito was stuck trying to figure out how to get out of bed without disturbing his bed mates. Iseria was still snuggled up to his left side with her head on his shoulder. Her could feel her breasts pressed up against the side of his chest, only separated by a thin piece of fabric.

Kamito knew that Iseria had feelings for him, and honestly, he returned many of those feelings. How could her not after spending the last three years with her, but how could he act on those feelings if he could not give himself wholly her? Restia still occupied far too much of his heart. After all, she was his light in the darkness. Without her, he would still just be an emotionless tool from the instructional school.

He was also aware of a new presence on his right. He suspected he knew who was there since no one had entered the room by conventional means. She, and he knew it was a she judging from the small bare breasts his right arm was currently being squeezed between, had just appeared in his bed earlier that morning. Pulling back the covers, Kamito let out a heavy sigh 'This is going to be one of those days, I can already tell.'

Working slowly and carefully, Kamito managed to disentangle himself from Est's grasp, earning him a small whimper from the still sleeping spirit. Next, Kamito gently moved Iseria's had to a pillow and thus freed his left arm. Sliding noiselessly from the bed, Kamito dressed in comfortable, loose fitting pants and a sleeveless shirt. Slipping silently out the door, Kamito found a bench in the courtyard to help him with his warm-up stretches. After he felt sufficiently limber, he set out at a brisk jog. Breathing in the slightly chilled early morning air, Kamito was able to clear his mind and find a comfortable rhythm.

About an hour later, Kamito quietly entered the room and stepped down to shower. Feeling refreshed, Kamito walked into the bedroom to finish drying off and get dressed.

"Good morning Kamito." Iseria greeted him as he began to dress. Est sat up with her legs folded on either side of her and rubbed her sleepy eyes.

"Est, why are you naked?" Kamito finally asked the question on his mind.

"But I am not naked master, I have on my knee socks." Est responded blandly.

"Right…" Kamito drawled. "well, in any case, we really should find you some clothes to wear."

"Does my appearance displease you, master?" Est inquired.

"Well.. I can't say it's unpleasant, but is not appropriate for a girl of your apparent age to be so exposed. It could generate misunderstandings." Kamito tried to explain.

"You look very young by human standards, it could be troublesome for Kamito to be seen with you not fully covered." Iseria said.

"Very well master, I will do as you command." Est nodded. Her body glowed brightly for a few seconds. When the light faded away, Est was wearing a simple knee length white dress.

"That dress suits you Est." Kamito commented.

"Thank you master."

"Est, please call me Kamito. I don't see myself as being your master, but your partner." Kamito requested.

" .to….Kamito, I will call master Kamito." Est tried to get used to saying his name.

"I guess that will have to do for now." Kamito straightened his tie in the mirror when he remembered something important. "Est, one more thing. Nobody other than Greyworth knows that I am the demon king or that Iseria in the Elemental Lord. When we are around others, please address her as Atlantae."

"Yes Kamito, I will do as you ask." Est responded. Kamito noticed that Iseria was now wearing her usual blue dress and knee high socks.

"You are lovely as always Iseria." Kamito complimented the Elemental Lord.

"So, what is the plan for today?" Iseria asked.

"I thought we would go into town today. We need to stock up on supplies and I heard that there will be a competition today to try and will a militarized spirit. Might be a good opportunity to scout some possible blade dancers." Kamito replied.

"I'm not sure if we will find any good candidates there, if they already have a powerful spirit, why attempt to gain a militarized one?" Iseria reasoned.

"Never hurts to check." Kamito shrugged. The three of them departed their room for the academy town at the base of the hill.

"Stupid Kamito with his stupid water spirit stealing that stupid sword spirit. I don't need them. I've been alone these past four years. I don't need anybody." Claire grumbled to herself as she walked down an empty alley in the town that supported the academy. She had heard about the competition today, and she decided that she would enter and win that militarized spirit.

"What would you give to obtain more power?" A quiet voice whispered in Claire's ear.

"Gyah!" Claire nearly had a heart attack when she heard that voice. Turning quickly to see who had spoken to her, Claire found herself face to face with a young woman wearing a dark cloak. Claire could not see her face, but figured she had to be very beautiful judging from the rest of her body. "Who are you?" Claire asked one her heart was back to beating close to normal.

"Me? I am but a wanderer. More importantly, I might be in a position to be of assistance to your quest for power." The hooded girl stated.

"You can help me get stronger?" Claire asked suspiciously. The girl nodded and held out her hand where a dark fog formed. Claire reached out her hand and the girl handed over the fog.

"Gespenst, the madness spirit. He had the ability to draw out someone's true potential." the girl informed Claire. The fog absorbed into Claire's hand and she felt like she had just dipped her hand into acid. A jet black seal appeared on her left hand momentarily before vanishing along with the pain.

"What do you gain from helping me?" Claire asked, flexing her fingers and looking at her hand.

"By you getting stronger, he will get stronger."

"He who?" Claire looked, but she was alone in the alley.

From a nearby rooftop, a young woman removed her hood revealing a beautiful face with dusk colored eyes and dark hair. "Fufufu, I hope you enjoy my present, my dearest Kamito." She smiled as she disappeared in a cloud of black feathers.

Kamito was walking down a side street in town with Iseria holding onto his left arm and Est walking a step behind to his right. They were enjoying the day of window shopping. Kamito was well aware of the stares he was receiving from the princess maidens, but he chose to ignore them so that it wouldn't ruin his day. Kamito suddenly felt a sharp pain from his left hand and let out an involuntary grunt. Iseria and Est looked at him in silent question. The stinging sensation from his seal faded away a few moments later.

"Restia was near here." Kamito explained. "We should keep a lookout for trouble." Kamito went on to explain how he had felt a similar sensation just prior to the demon spirit attack the previous night.

"Kazehaya Kamito!" Kamito sighed and turned to the very familiar voice. Just as he already knew, the blue haired captain of the Syphlid Knights was walking briskly in his direction. Glancing at Est, Kamito had a feeling he knew what Ellis was going to accuse him of.

' _And it was such a nice day too.'_ Kamito complained, earning a giggle from Iseria.

' _Kamito, I am your sword. She will not be allowed to bring harm to you.' Est needlessly assured Kamito._

' _Thank you Est, but that won't be necessary."_ Kamito chuckled and rubbed Est on the head.

"Fwah." Est sighed, happy with the attention.

"Have you no scruples ? Seducing such a young maiden, you should be ashamed." Ellis glared at Kamito then turned her attention to Est. "He hasn't harmed you, has he?"

"Kamito is my master." Est replied blandly.

"Making her call you master, that is unacceptable." Ellis drew her sword before Kamito could respond. Ellis almost dropped the sword when the blade drooped like a wet noodle. "What manner of sorcery is this?!"

"Howling Property Resonance. As a sword spirit, I can freely interfere with blades." Est explained expressionlessly.

"You're a spirit?" Ellis gaped.

"I am my master's sword. I will not permit you to harm my master." Est warned.

" have two contacted spirits?" Ellis was flabbergasted. It was extremely rare to have a spirit powerful enough to take human form, but to have two that could was almost completely unheard of.

"Yes, I have two contracted spirits, right now anyway." Kamito did the last part quietly, flexing his left hand. "Was there something I could help you with, Captain?"

" , umm, well, I was wondering if you had put any thought to my offer." Ellis asked shyly looking away.

Kamito sighed. "I don't think it would be a good idea at this time. People are still getting used to having a male elementalist around, and I don't think that they would react well to having me placed in such a position of authority this soon. Perhaps another time once everyone is more accustomed to my presence."

"Your right." Ellis sighed in disappointment "I hadn't considered that." She fidgeted in place for a moment. "I suppose you are in town to purchase provisions?"

"That's one of the reasons." Kamito confirmed. He felt a tug on his sleeve.

"Kamito, I would like some food." Est requested.

"I would like go eat as well." Iseria seconded, latching back onto Kamito's arm possessively.

"I guess we're going to go find a cafe." Kamito smiled apologetically. Ellis wanted to offer to accompany them, but decided not to when she saw how close the two females were sticking to Kamito. Ellis sighed again and resumed her patrol.

"So, what should we eat?" Kamito asked once they were away from Ellis. He knew that Iseria was looking for an excuse to get away from the bluenette, but figured it wasn't worth dwelling on. He knew he would never understand how a woman's mind worked, so why try.

After a quick lunch at a cozy cafe, the three of them made their way to the arena to watch the competition. The battle had already began as they located some empty seats. Kamito was checking out the field when he recognized a certain redhead. She was currently being pressured by a pair of elementalists, but surprisingly holding her own. Her small stature and quick reflexes allowed her to avoid being hit by the crystalline golem summoned by one of her opponents, but unfortunately for her, it was highly resistant to her flames. To make things harder for her, the other elementalist had a mirror spirit that could reflect any of her fire spells.

"Pitiful Claire Rouge, to think this is all the sister of the Calamity Queen is capable of." The mirror user taunted after reflecting a fireball back at Claire. "Even that traitor was able to back her actions."

"Quit talking about my sister like you knew her!" Claire cracked flametongue at the taunting girl only to have it intercepted by the golem.

"Give it up, there is no way you can beat my Adamantine." the golem' s master gloated.

"tsk.." Claire jumped back to evaluate her options. She knew she was in trouble, the two elementalists she was facing were both underclassmen and had worked together for a long time. One on one, she was sure she could defeat either of them, but their teamwork was good enough to cover any openings she could have tried exploiting.

'My true potential huh? I wanted to do this without outside interference, but I guess it can't be helped.' Claire was wearing down from fighting the two girls at once. She focused her divine power to her left hand and screamed in pain, collapsing to her knees. Flametongue vanished in a puff of smoke and a dark feline spirit jumped into existence. Claire had stopped screaming, but remained motionless on her knees, her eyes glazed over and listless.

"What the hell?" Kamito jumped from his seat when he felt Claire start to summon Gespenst.

"Her divine power has gone into a frenzy, and it has spread to Ortlinde." Iseria told Kamito, her voice heavy with concern.

The frenzied hellcat attacked the ore golem and the mirror spirit, black energy flowing into them. The golem turned on the mirror, smashing it in one hit as well as knocking the mirror's elementalist unconscious. "Adamantine! Stop! Attack Claire Rouge!" The golem's master screamed as her spirit turned its attention on her. Scrambling to escape, she tripped and sprawled on the ground. Closing her eyes, she balled herself up and waited for the smashing hit she knew was coming.

" **Dispassionate queen of steel, the sacred sword that destroys evil, now form my sword."**

The impact the golem elementalist was expecting never came. Slowly opening her eyes, She saw the back of a young man standing next to the severed arm of her contract spirit. The golem roared loudly in pain and anger. In his hands, the young man, who she now recognized as the male elementalist Kazehaya Kamito, was a brilliant silver hand and a half single edged long sword. With a quick slash, her spirit was sliced in two and dissipated into spirit particles as it faded back into Astral Zero.

Turning to her, Kamito asked "Are you injured?" she slowly shook her head no. She could not take her eyes off the young man that had just saved her and was now concerned for her well being. She could feel her heart start beating faster and her face flush.

"If you are unharmed, you should go help your friend escape." Kamito instructed before leaping away to confront Claire and Scarlet.

She watched him go for a moment before looking around somewhat dazed. She could see the female spirit that accompanied Kamito on the other side of the arena engaging other frenzied spirits with orbs of water, defeating them with utmost ease. Hearing a groan behind her snapped her out of her daze. Helping her friend to her feet, the two quickly made their way or of the arena and to safety, but not before the golem elementalist stopped and gazed at Kamito one more time. 'Stay safe, I still need to thank you for saving me.' She blushed thinking about how she was going to thank him.

"Claire!" Kamito called out to the red head who was still sitting on her knees staring off into nowhere. Hearing her name, she turned unfocused eyes at the voice. Seeing that she was out of it, Kamito slapped her across the face. The stinging sensation in her cheek snapped those ruby eyes into focus instantly. Glaring angrily at the man in front of her, she was about to shout at him when he stopped her.

"Is this the extent of your pride? The extent of the Elstein pride that is so famous? No, it's fitting that you are going by Claire Rouge because you don't deserve the name Elstein."

"Who are you too talk to me like that? Do you know the pain and torment I have had endure these past four years? Do you know what is fella like to be completely alone?" tears formed in Claire's as she spoke. *smack* Flames of anger replaced the tears in Claire's eyes when Kamito slapped her again.

"Do you think you are the only person in history to have a hard life? I am the only living male elementalist. I am constantly scorned as the second coming of Demon King Solomon. I live my life trying to prove I am nothing like the Demon King of old. I am not alone though, and neither are you. Just as I have Is..Atlantae and Est, you have scarlet. Or does she mean so little to you that you would sacrifice her in your pursuit of power?" Kamito was beyond furious at her attitude.

"Kamito!" Iseria called out to get Kamito's attention. He turned in time to see the possessed Scarlet leap at him for striking Claire. A blue orb of water struck the enraged feline, knocking it across the ground. Scarlet regained her feet and was about to attack again when her path was blocked.

" **Evil winds, go forth and rampage."**

"About time you showed up Ellis." Kamito smirked.

"I had to gather the knights so we could assist in evacuating the arena." Ellis responded, not catching Kamito's sarcasm.

"Now Claire Rouge, are you going to continue make Scarlet suffer? If so, i will end her now and you will truly be alone." Kamito raised a hand up in the frenzied cat's direction.

Claire's eyes opened wide. "Scarlet?" she asked quietly, taking in the the sight of her spirit attacking anything within reach. Looking down at her left hand, Claire whispered "It's all my fault…" "Kamito, please help Scarlet, I know what I have to do." Kamito watched her form a small fireball in her right hand and jam it into the spirit seal on her left hand. Nodding, Kamito readied Est to keep Scarlet from attacking Claire. The moment the fireball touched the seal, Scarlet yowled in pain and last at Claire, only to be stopped by Kamito before another water orb slammed into her side. A torrent of wind blades kept Scarlet pinned to the ground.

Suddenly Claire threw her head back in a silent scream as the black seal shattered. A black fog like spirit exited her body through her mouth and nostrils and Claire collapsed from all the stress on her body. Through half lidded eyes, Claire watched as similar clouds left the bodies of the fallen spirits and elementalists. All the spirit pieces clumped together to form a single spirit that faded into Astral Zero.

"Scarlet." Claire croaked weakly trying to get to her contract spirit. Kamito went and picked up the exhausted hellcat while Est, now back in her human form, assisted Claire into a sitting position. Kamito placed Scarlett into Claire's lap, who in turn hugged the cat into her bosom. "Scarlet, I'm so sorry Scarlet. I've been so blinded with my own feelings that I never considered yours." Tears flowed freely from ruby eyes. Scarlet mewwed weakly and locked Claire's hand where she had burned off the other seal, leaving charred skin. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. Now go, go and rest." Claire wiped her eyes as Scarlet dissolved into particles as she went to recover in Astral Zero.

Claire was surprised when Iseria knelt in front of her and held her hands near her injured hand. Blue light glowed softly and Claire could feel the pain of the burn fading away and the skin start stitching itself back together. "why?"

Iseria sighed "Just because I don't like the way you have been treating Kamito doesn't mean I won't help you. A young maiden such as yourself should not be marred by scars. You may not realize it yet, but your Scarlet Valkyrie is far more powerful than you know."

"Thank you." Claire's mumbled looking away once Iseria was finished healing her hand.

Kamito placed his hand on Iseria's shoulder and was about suggest that they leave when he stiffened up and started looking around.

"What's the matter young Elstein, you didn't like my little gift?" A beautiful voice chimed from above the arena. Floating in the air was a young woman with black feathered wings on her back. She had dark hair and dusk colored eyes set in flawless milk white skin. Wearing a dark dress and knee high socks, she was a vision of dark beauty.

"It's her." Claire turned to the others pointing at the floating spirit "She is the one that gave me that madness spirit!"

"Hello Kamito." the spirit smiled sweetly.

"Restia…"

 **Well, that wraps up chapter 4. As always, thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed. I hope no one was disappointed by Iseria's waffe, Charybdis. Yes, Kamito can use kido. I thought as the Demon King he should be able to use the Demon Arts. Comments, questions, and concerns are always welcome. Have a great day.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Happy New Year readers. I hope everyone had a safe and fun holiday season. Over 2000 views in just over a month, I am amazed. I would like to thank everyone for reading, as well as everyone who has favorited, followed, and reviewed. Domo Arigato! This chapter has a first for any of my fanfictions, a bit of citrus. It is not a full out lemon, but it does get a little steamy. I hope everyone enjoys.**

"Hello Kamito, you are looking well." The darkness spirit greeted with a voice like a song.

"Restia." Kamito looked on forlornly. "You gave that madness spirit to Claire?"

"I guess she didn't appreciate the gift? I thought she wanted to be stronger." Restia shrugged her shoulders.

"And that demon spirit last night was your doing?" Kamito narrowed his eyes.

" _She_ heard that you had awakened your powers and decided a test of sorts was in order." Restia smiled. "It seems that you have somewhat awoken, but not completely for some reason. Imagine my surprise when you not only formed a contract with her ladyship, but also with miss sword spirit there. I thought a little punishment should be in order." Restia's smile became more mischievous. She reached out and placed her hand on the crystal sealing the militarized spirit, Glasya-Labolas. A black fog like cloud passed from Restia's and into the spirit crystal.

"Is that…?" Ellis started to ask.

"Yes, I do believe that is the madness spirit that she had given to Claire." Kamito finished for her. "Restia! Who are you working for?" Restia floated down to the ground and stood in front of Kamito. Kamito put his arms out to prevent Iseria or Est from interfering

"Please finish awakening soon, Kamito. I'll be waiting for you." Restia kissed Kamito lightly on the lips before rising back into the air and vanishing into a cloud of black feathers. Kamito watched as a few of the feathers touched the ground before dissolving into spirit particles.

Kamito clenched his left hand "Damn it!" Iseria took his clenched fist into her hands causing Kamito to look into her eyes. He could see her love and worry for him reflected in them. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. ' _I'm fine now, honest.'_ Kamito assured Iseria. Kamito rubbed the top of Est's head with his right hand to reassure her as well.

"Kamito, who was that?" Ellis inquired.

Before he could answer, a loud crack resounded throughout the arena bringing everyone's attention back to the spirit sealed in the crystal. A large crack ran down the entire side and a large black hand emerged.

"Ellis! Gather your knights outside the arena. Have them evacuate the immediate area, then return to assist with damage control." Kamito instructed in a firm tone.

"Yes!" Ellis nodded as her training as a knight took over.

"Claire, you help her. We need to make sure the townsfolk are protected." Kamito ordered.

"But…" Claire tried to argue.

"Innocent lives are the priority here, now go!" Kamito interrupted, not allowing for any arguments.

Claire puffed out her cheeks and stomped her foot in defiance. "Fine! But you better not get yourself killed!" Claire yelled, running off to help with evacuations.

"You handled that well, but was it necessary?" Iseria asked.

"If prefer not having witnesses, less explanations that way." Kamito explained earning a nod from Iseria.

Turning back to the emerging militarized spirit, Kamito placed his hand on Est's head "Ready?"

"I am your sword." was Est's reply. In a flash of light, she once again became a sword in Kamito's hands. Glasya-Labolas roared, shattering the rest of the crystal and causing cracks to form in the walls of the arena.

A chunk of wall collapsed and fell towards Kamito.

" **Rising waters flood the land, form a wall and sweep clear the debris, Tsunami!"** A tall wall of water rose up behind Kamito blocking all the falling chunks of wall.

Kamito smiled wryly at Iseria, who was standing next to him with a hand raised over her head. ' _You know I could have dodged that, right?'_

' _I just wanted to make sure you didn't forget I was here.'_ Iseria smiled sweetly.

' _I could never forget you.'_ Kamito gently kissed Iseria on forehead.

' _More time for that later, for now, let's focus on the task at hand.'_ Iseria teased, lightly blushing. Glasya-Labolas now stood his full height of nearly 40 feet tall. It unleashed another roar, destroying a large portion of the arena seating and opening a path to the town outside. Glasya-Labolas focused its one eye on the townsfolk that were desperately fleeing. It started moving towards the opening when a wall of water blocked its path.

' _Thanks Iseria.'_ "Who said you were allowed to leave?" Kamito walked confidently towards Glasya-Labolas who had backpedaled away from the wall of water blocking its path. Turning, it focused its attention on Kamito and swung its massive fist to squash him.

Ellis had just returned to the arena from rallying the knights as Kamito had asked when she saw the large militarized spirit launch its attack on Kamito. She was too far away to do anything other than cry out. Just as the fist was about to land, a shield of yellow energy formed in front of Kamito, stopping the fist cold. 'What in the Lord's name is that?' Ellis thought as she had never seen a spiritual shield like it before.

" **Bakudo 39: Enkosen!"** Kamito recited, holding his left hand up in front of him, a yellow oval shield of divine power appearing in front of his hand. "You don't seen to realize who I really am, do you? Not surprising considering that madness spirit that is affecting you, but I really don't have time for this right now. Est, are you ready?"

' _Of course Kamito, I am your sword, please use me as you see fit.'_ Est responded.

"Let's finish this then." Kamito stated, jumping back and bringing Est to a ready position behind his back. " **Absolute Blade Arts-First Form, Purple Lightning."** Kamito rocketed forward faster than the eye could see and delivered a devastating slash to the giant spirit. It roared in pain, stumbling backward and falling to its knees. Kamito used meta three dimensional movement to quickly climb the wounded spirit and stabbed it in the chest, where one would expect its heart to be. ' _Now Est! Repel that madness spirit!'_

' _Yes Kamito.'_ Est's blade shone brightly and a black fog was forced from the body of the militarized spirit. The fog like madness spirit attempted to flee back to Astral Zero, but unfortunately for it, it had proven to be an irritation to Kamito.

" **Disintegrate, You black dog of Rondanini! Look upon yourself in horror, and then claw out your own throat! Bakudo 9: Geki!"** Kamito drew a series of symbols in the air with his left hand causing Gespenst to freeze in place, surrounded by a red hue.

Defeated and freed of the madness spirit, Glasya-Labolas was fading into spirit particles as it started to phase back to Astral Zero. Kamito glanced at the trapped Gespenst and placed his hand on Glasya-Labolas " **Ancient Tomb of the Ancient King. Hear me and recognize me as you master. Open your doors and reclaim one of your own."** A large gothic looking set of doors appeared behind the defeated spirit and slowly opened, revealing a multicolored void beyond. Dark tentacles emerged from the void and formed hands that clasped onto the large spirit. Glasya-Labolas was starting to disappear as the Demon King's Burial Chamber absorbed it, each of the innumerable hands pulling it in.

'I don't understand." Ellis thought to herself, unable to see the doors to the burial chamber. Defeated spirits fazed away in a cloud of spirit particles back to Astral Zero, but Glasya-Labolas seemed to be getting pulled into some other space, and it was disappearing in a cascade of geometric patterns. And what form of spirit magic was Kamito using? She had never seen or heard of anything like it.

" **Hado 54: Haien!"** Lifting his hand, Kamito launched an orb of purple energy that when it touched the madness spirit completely obliterated it in flames, not even leaving ash. Glasya-Labolas finished disappearing into the spacial distortion and Kamito looked up to where Ellis was watching from behind a pillar. Iseria lowered her wall of water and stood beside Kamito.

' _So now what are you going to do? She saw the whole thing.'_ Iseria asked seriously.

' _We're just going to hope that she is going to be reasonable.'_ Kamito sighed. He really hoped that Ellis would listen.

"Come on out Ellis. It's safe now." Kamito called out to Ellis, who was trembling in fear of the display she had just seen. Kamito had taken a seat on one of the undamaged benches. Ellis tried to maintain her composure as she left her hiding spot and made her way to sit next to the young man she had just witnessed take down a militarized spirit single handedly. She had a feeling that Headmistress Greyworth could have performed such a feat, but she could not imagine someone her age being on par with the country's strongest elementalist.

"Come sit, don't worry, I don't bite." Kamito chuckled trying to ease the tension in the air. "I'm sure you have many questions about what you just saw. I can give you some explanations, but I can't tell you everything."

Ellis nodded slowly, still nervous about being close this powerful being.

"Before I tell you anything though, I need your word bound by your honor as a knight, that this will not go any further than this arena." Kamito stated with a serious tone.

Taking a deep breath and nodding Ellis replied "By my honor as a Sylphid Knight, I, Ellis Fahrengart, do swear to take any secrets you tell me here to my grave."

"Thank you, you may ask what's on your mind." Kamito leaned back to relax.

"Who was that female spirit?" Ellis decided to start with what she felt was a safe question.

*sigh* "Her name is Restia. She is..was my first contacted spirit, but something happened several years ago, and we were separated. I have been searching for her since, but today has shown me that something has changed her. I will find a way to bring her back, I have to save her as she once saved me." Kamito responded sadly. He said the last part to himself, too quiet for Ellis to hear, but Iseria heard him. She placed her hand over Kamito's and gave it a gentle squeeze. Kamito looked at her and gave her a small smile ' _Thank you for being here for me Iseria.'_

Ellis was about to ask another question when Kamito raised his hand to stop her. "Sorry, but other answers will have to wait." Ellis was about question this when she heard shouting.

"Hold on Kamito! We're here..to...help." Claire called out as she ran into the arena with Rinslet in tow. Kamito knew that Carol was nearby, but he guessed she stayed back to avoid being in the way if a battle was underway. Looking around, Claire and Rinslet could see Kamito with his two spirits, Atlantae and Est, sitting with Ellis, but no sign of Glasya-Labolas anywhere.

Stomping up to the seated group, Claire put her hands on her hips "Well?"

"Well what?" Kamito asked innocently.

"Where is it?" Claire demanded.

"I'm sorry, but you will have to be a little more specific than that." Kamito continued his act.

"Gyah!" Claire yelled in frustration. "The giant frenzied militarized spirit you jerk!"

Iseria pushed Kamito's shoulder with a serious expression, even though Kamito could see laughter in her eyes. "Oh, that. I killed it." Kamito replied nonchalantly. Ellis couldn't help but gape at the casualness in his voice. Claire looked like a fish on land and Rinslet looked confused.

"I thought you said there was a battle class spirit running wild here." Rinslet turned to Claire, who was just standing there with her mouth opening and closing, but nothing coming out.

"Oh, there was, but I was able handle it." Kamito responded for Claire. Turning to Iseria and Est "I'm starting to get hungry again. Ready to go?" Kamito and his two spirits got up and left the stunned girls in the arena.

"You did good today Est." Kamito rubbed her head getting a sound of pleasure from the sword spirit. "And thank you for your support Iseria, in everything. I really do appreciate it."

While waiting on their orders at a small cafe, the trio made small talk, well Kamito and Iseria did while Est sat silently, face expressionless as ever. "Est, you had many elementalists try to contact over the years, right?" Kamito tried to include Est.

"Fifty three to be exact." Est replied.

"May I ask why you chose to contract with me?" Kamito was genuinely curious. "Even knowing who I really am."

Est did not reply immediately. "I am not completely sure myself. I guess I would call it intuition."

"Intuition?" Kamito asked confused.

"I could tell that you were the reincarnation of the Demon King, but you do not have the same desires. I wanted to see what made you different, and now I think I think I may see." Est elaborated.

"And what did you find out." Kamito asked, sipping his coffee.

"I think I like you." Est looked into Kamito's eyes as she said this. Kamito almost choked on his coffee, he never expected an answer like that. Iseria giggled at Kamito's expression, and although she was not happy at having more competition for Kamito's affection, she was not completely surprised either.

Kamito was considering how to respond when their orders arrived. Kamito had ordered a simple sandwich while Est and Iseria were splitting a large sundae.

In another part of town, at a similar cafe, a young woman in a dusk colored dress was waiting for someone to arrive. Her instructions did not specify who she was meeting, but that they would recognize her. All the other patrons were ignoring her and the table she sat at as though they did not exist.

"Hello darkness bitch." A masculine voice spoke out behind her.

"Jio, I should have known she was sending you." Restia spat. "I don't even see why she keeps you around."

"Because she knows that I am the true Demon King, and after I kill that bastard, Kamito, I will force you to submit to me. In every way." Jio sneered. He was just over average height with red tattoos that looked like chains covering his body.

"Jio, the likes of you will never be able to defeat Kamito." Restia voice was full of venom. "And do not engage him on your mission. You will fail, and then would have _her_ to deal with."

"Ha! _She_ is going to allow me my chance soon. That is what my price for this mission is, so you better believe I will be successful." Jio boasted.

"Greyworth will be leaving for an overnight stay tomorrow after classes adjourn. Make your move then. The scroll is in her personal study." Restia informed Jio.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Just keep your end of the deal and keep lover boy away from me, or I might just have to go ahead and claim my fee early." Jio waved her off dismissively before flashing away with a crack of thunder.

"Idiot. I just pray I can be there when Kamito kills you." Restia smiled maliciously as she vanished leaving a few black feathers at the table. Oh yes, seeing Kamito take him apart is definitely something to look forward to.

Kamito had just laid Est in her sword form on a settee in the bedroom after wishing her a good night and patting her on the head. When asked why she didn't return to Astral Zero to rest, she responded "Because this is where Kamito is. As your sword, my place is near you at all times." Kamito couldn't think of any arguments, so had agreed that she should do what she thought was best.

Kamito sat down on the bed after stripping down to his boxers and thought about the events of the day. He was taking Restia's actions harder than he expected. She had changed so much since the last blade dance and the events that followed in the True Sanctuary. Her looked up when Iseria entered the bedroom and turned off the lights. She was wearing an ice blue knee length robe. Her bare legs almost glowed in the moonlight that came in through the window. Iseria sat down next to Kamito on the bed and placed her hand on his clenched fist.

"Kamito…" Iseria started.

"I know." Kamito looked down at their clasped hands. "I could feel it too. She may be resisting it, but Restia has definitely been infected with the darkness."

"Kamito, I'm sorry." Iseria wrapped her arms around Kamito.

"No, we knew that this was a possibility. You have nothing to be sorry for." Kamito shook his head and peered into Iseria's eyes. The moonlight reflecting off her irises let Kamito stunned. His hand seemed to move on its own as it brushed away a few loose strands of hair from her face.

Her lips were parted slightly as her breathing increased. Kamito placed his finger under her chin as he leaned closer, his eyes searching gets for any doubts. Both Iseria's and Kamito's eyes widened for a monument when their lips finally made contact, then slowly closed as they reveled in the experience. Sure they had kissed before, but nothing like this. Iseria felt Kamito's tongue rub against her lips, and she gladly allowed it in. It was obvious that he was inexperienced, as was she, but he made up for it in passion.

Iseria shifted her position so she was straddling his lap facing him, her hands roaming over his bare chest. Kamito's hands started roaming as well. Sliding the robe off her shoulders, Kamito discovered that she was completely nude underneath. He eased the robe down her arms so that it fell to the floor. He ran his hands down her sides to her perfectly shaped ass making Iseria moan into his mouth. Starting back up from her hips, Kamito's hands traced up her sides as thumbs caressed her flat belly. His touch felt like electricity as his fingers just grazed her skin. She let out a gasp followed by a lustful moan as his hands reached her breasts.

Kamito marveled at the feeling of Iseria's breasts in his hands. They were firm, yet soft at the same time. Kneading them softly elicited moans from Iseria into his mouth. He ran his fingers over her hard nipples lightly before taking them between his fingers, giving them gentle squeezes. What had felt as hard as stone turned out to have a suppleness of their own. "Ka..mi..to!" Iseria managed to pant as she pressed his hands firmly against her chest and threw her head back in pleasure.

Kamito opened his eyes and took in the panting firm of the literal goddess in front of him. Her body was a study in perfection. He could see the want in her eyes. Her skin was flushed and he could smell her desire for him, but suddenly another's image flashed in his mind. Long dark hair and eyes the color of dusk. Kamito was brought back to the here and now he felt hands on his boxers.

"Ise..Iseria, I..I can't. Not yet. I..I'm sorry, I'm.. I'm just not ready." Kamito found it difficult to stop what they were doing, but he knew that this just wasn't the right time. His heart felt like it was breaking when he saw the look of disappointment in Iseria's eyes. "Iseria, I love you. I have come realize that, but…" he was cut off when Iseria placed a finger over his lips.

Iseria was disappointed, but not completely surprised. She was honestly more surprised things went as far as they did before he called a stop to them. "I know, Kamito. You still love Restia. I may have placed a seal over your heart to help keep your powers in check, you too placed a seal over my heart." Iseria took Kamito's hand and placed it on top off her left breast, directly over her heart. "I love you, Kamito, and will remain by your side till the end of days."

"Thank you, Iseria...I'm sorry for being so weak as to love more than one woman. You deserve my whole heart, but I just can't give her up." Kamito looked away sadly.

"Kamito, you have nothing to apologise for, you are by no means weak. It is because you are so strong in your heart that you can truly love more than one woman without losing yourself. It is that strength that drew me, an Elemental Lord, to fall in love with you. I am sure that given time, you will come to love Est as well, and there may eventually be others as well. Please Kamito, never lose that strength of heart."

Kamito was speechless, he had thought himself weak, but here was an Elemental Lord no less, speaking about his strength. "Iseria….Yes, I promise. Thank you, for everything." Kamito laid down on the bed with Iseria snuggling up close to him. Kamito wasn't sure how comfortable he was having her sleep naked next to him, but seeing the happy smile on her face put him at ease.

Kamito found himself in a large open room. He stood silently as the doors opened and six large men entered. A klaxon sounded signaling the start of the exercise. These men had been specifically selected as they had been instrumental in his training, so they knew what he was capable of and would not underestimate him. A few of the men pulled escrima sticks, one had a length of chain, while the rest were unarmed. Kamito observers the men with emotionless eyes as they prepared to attack. Kamito waited for the first sign of movement before he swept through the room like a hurricane.

Kamito went after the man with the chain first. He ducked under the swinging chain, kicking the man in the knee. The man screamed in pain as his knee cap was destroyed. A strike to the temple silenced his screams. Grabbing the chain, Kamito next attacked one of the escrima stick users, tangling his legs with the chain, getting in close to negate the stick's range advantage, and striking the man in the Adam's apple. He dropped the stick into the waiting hands of the young boy named Kamito as he grabbed for his neck, choking.

Spinning quickly, Kamito took aim at another escrima user, striking him between the eyes. Rushing over, Kamito gathered both escrima sticks and charged the final escrima fighter. The older man waited until the last moment to back flip to a safe distance, leaving Kamito open for a counter attack from the two unnamed fighters. Coming at him from both sides, the man to Kamito's right went for a low sweep and the man to his left unleashed a powerful roundhouse. Kamito used his forward momentum to go into a tumble. He was able to dive in between both kicks, landing with his arms outstretched, and continuing into a roll. Coming out of the roll, he used his remaining momentum to leap over the escrima fighter, pivoting in midair so that his feet contacted the wall. The young boy kicked off the wall with enough force to crack the reinforced concrete. He brought both sticks down on the last stick fighter's shoulders, breaking both collar bones. Using the impact as a fulcrum, Kamito landed both feet on the upraised arms off one of the unarmed fighters, who flew into the far wall and collapsed in a broken heap.

Kamito dropped the sticks as he slowly approached the last fighter. The man lunged forward with a powerful straight punch that Kamito ducked under and then punched him in the solar plexus with a divine power infused fist. The man stumbled backward and doubled over, coughing up copious amounts of blood, finally collapsing on the verge of death. The boy observed the carnage he created with emotionless eyes. Total amount of time to defeat all six men was less than sixty seconds. White clad medics burst through the doors and immediately began treating the severely injured men.

Kamito turned at the sound of slow clapping and watched as an older man with a shaved head and wearing a black cloak approached with a young woman next to him.

"Excellent, excellent.. you are doing very well my young apprentice." The man continued his slow clap. "You only have one more assignment before your training is complete, you will kill this young woman next to me." The girl smiled and waved, completely unconcerned despite witnessing this you boy dominating a group of highly trained men just minutes prior.

Kamito's expression did not change one bit. "Kill the girl. Understood." Kamito answered though someone was talking about the weather. Faster than the human eye could process, Kamito lunged forward, his hand flat, fingers extended and charged with an amazing amount of divine power aimed at the center of her throat. Lightning danced around his hand, which had only hit air. Standing to the side of Kamito, the young woman, with dark hair and dusk colored eyes, leaned over and kissed Kamito gently on the cheek.

"Hello, Kamito. My name is Restia Ashdoll."

Kamito awoke the morning at the same time as always to do his morning exercises. He was aware that Est had climbed into the bed a little earlier, but wasn't concerned. Moving the blankets, he found Est just as he knew he would. She was curled up on top of him this morning, and he knew there was no way to get free without waking the spirit girl, so he gently shook her shoulder. "Est, could you please move so I can get up?" Kamito whispered, trying not disturb Iseria.

Est opened her large violet eyes and sat up yawning. She was once again only wearing her knee socks, but because of the previous night, Kamito was partially at attention. Est leaned down and kissed Kamito on the lips. It was a child like pressing of lips, but it still surprised Kamito. She sat back up, her face devoid of emotion.

"What was that for Est?" Kamito asked.

"I was kissing Kamito. I heard that the proper way to seal a contract with a high level spirit was with a kiss. Did I do it wrong?" Est tilted her head to the side looking slightly confused.

"No Est, you did it right, you just caught me off guard is all." Kamito patted Est on the head, receiving a happy sound from her. Looking down at where Est was straddling his waist, Kamito had to will himself not to become fully erect. The way she was sitting had her most sacred place up against his member through his boxers. Iseria picked this time to wake up. Looking at the situation, she giggled seductively.

"My, Est, how bold of you this early in the morning." Iseria teased.

"I am my master's sword in battle, and I shall also be his sheath in bed." Est said with a straight face.

"Umm...Thanks Est…" Kamito closed his eyes and cleared his mind using the act of mental oblivion, thus allowing himself to rid himself of his current predicament. "But I don't think that will be necessary."

"I'm not sure if it is healthy for a young man to remain so unaffected with two beautiful women naked in his bed." Iseria continued her teasing.

"But I am not naked." Est stated. "I have on my knee socks."

Kamito took advantage at Est's temporary distraction slip out of the bed and start dressing for his morning exercises, to be followed by a very cold shower.

While Kamito was preparing for his day, an ornate carriage arrived in the campus courtyard. A young woman with black hair and eyes stepped out and surveyed her surroundings. A wide smile spread on her lips.

"Finally, I have found you. Kazehaya Kamito."

 **Thank you again for taking the time to read my story. Please feel free to leave a comment if you would like to. I hope everyone enjoyed the story. Until next time.**

 **Next chapter will introduce Fianna, have Jio's attack on the school, and have the assault on Gado.**


	6. Chapter 6

After getting all the students settled in class, Freya Grandol announced that today was the start to the official ranking matches to determine which teams would represent Areisha Spirit Academy at the upcoming blade dance. Incomplete teams could still compete, but only teams of five would make the final cut.

Seeing as Kamito still had not chosen any team members, his first match would have him against a trio of second year girls. Since the format of the Blade Dance had not been announced yet, the different rating matches would cover the possible layouts. Kamito's first official match would take place in the same arena in Astral Zero that he had faced Ellis in.

Arianna Vandross was a tall girl with reddish blonde hair down to the middle of her back and emerald green eyes. She had a very serious air about her.

Misty Lochardt was a little shorter than Arianna, but still taller than average. Her jet black hair was kept in a braid that nearly reached her knees, and contrasted beautifully with her cinnamon colored eyes that sparkled playfully.

Last for the team facing Kamito was a short girl work ash blonde hair done in twin short pony tails. Her name was Haruka Ise. She stared at Kamito with expressionless steel grey eyes.

The moment he laid his eyes on Haruka, Kamito's mind was transported back in time

 *****Flashback*****

Kamito was walking back his room at the Instructional School when he heard a sound he had not heard in a very long time. Pausing at a door, He could definitely hear the quiet sound of someone crying. Curious, he opened the door and saw a young girl with ash blonde hair and grey eyes sitting on a worn out mattress on the floor. She quickly wiped her eyes with her sleeve and tried to hide the fact she had just been sniffling.

"Why were you crying?" A young Kamito asked.

"..." The girl just stared at the boy that had just entered her room. She had seen him around the school before, many times with a young woman with dark hair and wearing a dusk colored dress, but she didn't know anything about him.

"Okay, well, how about your name? My name is Kazehaya Kamito." Kamito introduced himself, squatting down next to the girl.

"Muir…" the girl mumbled. She wasn't sure why this boy was being nice to her. She was a monster. She knew that when he learned of this, he would run away just like everyone else did.

Even though he was sitting right next to her, Kamito still did not catch her name. "Sorry, I didn't catch that."

"Muir." she said a little louder this time. "Muir Alenstarl."

"Muir, that's a nice name. So tell me,Muir, why were you crying?" Kamito asked again.

"Everybody hates Muir. Muir is a monster." The young girl's eyes filled with tears again.

"You don't look like a monster though." Kamito said, making a show of looking her up and down.

"Muir has the Jester's Vice." Muir held her right hand so Kamito could see the strange markings. "The Jester's Vice makes Muir a monster."

"I don't think you're a monster. I think Muir is just Muir." Kamito patted Muir in the top of the head. "Say, how would you like to be friends?"

Muir stared blankly at him for a moment before responding. "We are just tools be used and discarded, what use are friends?"

Kamito frowned for a moment. "Okay, well then, how about family? I could be your onii-sama, your big brother. How about that?"

"Onii..sama? Big brother?" Muir said slowly, mulling the idea in her head. She hadn't had anyone willing to consider her as a part of their family since that incident in the village when she was four. Now, here was this boy, not much older than she was, that did not view her as the monster the world believed her to be, and he wanted to be her big brother. A small smile formed on her face new tears appeared in her eyes. "Muir has a big brother...Kamito is Muir's nii-sama." Muir said happily.

 *****End Flashback*****

Kamito had not thought about his adopted little sister for a couple of years now. He had heard rumors about an elementalist that had the power to drive spirits mad while on his travels with Iseria, but never anything concrete. Her had always held out the hope that she had somehow escaped from the Instructional School during the chaos, and that he would get to see her again one day.

Kamito was brought back to reality when he felt a nudge on his arm. Glancing around, Kamito noticed everyone was looking at him. "Hehe..sorry." Kamito apologized while rubbing the back of his head "It's just that I used to know someone who looks very much like you, Haruka."

"So the Demon King of the night is a lolicon as well." Misty observed.

"Demon King of the night?" Kamito questioned.

"Don't try to deny it, we've heard all the rumors." Arianna retorted.

"Really now. If I had really done a small fraction of what those rumors claim, how would I be able to maintain a spirit contract, let alone two?" Kamito challenged.

"T-two?" Misty and Arianna sputtered while Haruka looked at the two girls accompanying Kamito.

"Yes, let me introduce you to my contacted spirits, Atlantae and Est." Iseria curtseyed and Est just looked on blankly.

"So, you think you can take the three of us on at once?" Arianna huffed.

"Now now, Ari. He is pretty cute. Kamito, how would you like to join our team? We wouldn't have to battle, and we are both in need of more members." Misty offered.

"What?! No no no, we don't need someone like him on our team!" Arianna quickly argued.

Haruka glanced between Kamito and his spirits and nodded. "I think we should have him join us." she spoke very quietly.

"Not you too, Ruka!" Arianna cried.

"Girls, I'm flattered, but I would like to see what you can do before I make my decision." Kamito responded.

"I guess it can't be helped then. Just so you know, will not take it easy on you just because it is three on one." Misty shrugged.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Kamito smiled. Both sides took up their starting positions and waited for the starting signal.

"Iseria, I'm going to lead off with Est until we find out what their abilities are. Please watch my back, and be careful. I do not want to use any kido if out can be avoided." Kamito stated, turning serious.

"I agree with your strategy, but with you holding back a majority of your power as you are, this maybe as uphill battle. Please take care, I have your back." Iseria commented.

"Thanks Iseria." "Ready Est?"

"Yes Kamito." Est gripped Kamito's hand.

" **Dispassionate Queen of Steel, the sacred sword that destroys evil, now form my sword."**

In a flash of light, Est disappeared and the sword Terminus Est appeared Kamito's right hand.

When the signal to start sounded, Haruka summoned her waffe, which took the form of a kusari-gama. Taking a hold of Arianna's hand, both Haruka and Arianna vanished into a nearby shadow.

"Hmm, a shadow elementalist. This will complicate things a touch." Kamito frowned. He then noticed that Misty was almost done with her spirit chant. Looking around, he noticed that the shadows were starting to take more of a humanoid form. 'Great, what now?'

" _Kamito, this could prove to be troublesome. This is a legion type spirit.'_ Iseria informed Kamito.

" _Okay, so we know we have a legion type spirit, and a shadow elementalist. What of the third?"_ Kamito suddenly felt a spike in killer intent and leapt backwards just as something impacted the ground where he was just standing. " _Okay, answers that. Iseria, try and find that sniper."_

" _I'm on it."_ Iseria started scanning the upper reaches of the arena for hiding spots as Misty finished her summoning. She seemed to melt into the darkness as the shadows started closing on Kamito.

Kamito moved to engage the nearest shadow soldier when the weighted ball end of a kusari-gama shot from the chest of the shadow, wrapping around his right hand. He managed to duck to avoid the follow up sniper shot aimed at his head. " _Iseria, any luck on that sniper?"_

Iseria caught a small movement in the rocks with the last shot. Before she could respond to Kamito, she had to avoid the sickle end of the kusari-gama that flew out of a nearby shadow. She dodged the weapon, but unfortunately that put her in the path of the sniper's next shot. "Gyah!" Iseria shouted out as electricity surged through her body.

"Iseria!" Kamito called out loud unintentionally.

" _Hah...I'm fine...hah...the sniper...hah...is firing compressed bolts..of lightning."_ Iseria relayed, catching her breath. " _I know..where she is now."_

Arianna smirked she watched the female spirit drop to her knee from over the sights on her waffe, which resembled an old muzzle loading rifle. Her smirk quickly disappeared when the spirit stood back up and glared in her direction, clearly pissed off. "Shit!" Arianna muttered as she tried to relocate herself. She saw the spirit raise her hand, and the air suddenly became humid. Suddenly the humidity solidified and encased Arianna in crystal clear ice.

Kamito watched as several tall spires of ice erupted near an outcropping of rocks at the fast end of the arena. " _The sniper had been neutralized."_ Kamito heard Iseria say through their link. " _Thank you, now rest a bit, I'll finish these other two off."_

Kamito saw Haruka leap from one shadow soldier to another, launching several senbon at him in the process. He dodged the senbon, but ended up too close to several shadow figures. He slashed one, but the other was able to lay a hand on him. He could instantly feel his divine power being siphoned from him. Several quick slashes cleared the area around him of the shadows, but he was unable to avoid the senbon that was thrown from point blank range as Haruka jump between two nearby shadows.

' _Looks like I will need to use one of that hag's skills after all.'_ Kamito closed his eyes and focused his energy to locating Haruka's energy in the shadows. It took him several moments, but finally, her found a very weak energy signature coming from one of the approaching shadows. Opening his eyes, He could see that Misty had taken advantage of his eyes being closed to surround him with her legion.

" _Est, when I tell you, I want you to negate the magic around us. Can you do that?"_

" _Yes, Kamito."Est replied._ Kamito waited for the shadows to get a little closer before he went on the offensive.

" **Absolute Blade Arts-Third Form: Shadowmoon Waltz."**

Kamito seemed to vanish in a blur of spinning slashes that struck every nearby shadow almost simultaneously. Kamito watched Haruka was thrown violently from one shadow as she was struck by Est. "Now Est!" Kamito shouted as he pumped divine power into Est. She shone brightly and the rest of the shadows instantly vanished, revealing a startled Misty.

"I forfeit!" Misty admitted defeat with her hands raised. She giggled asset Kamito's stunned expression. "I'm not a fan of pain, and you already defeated my teammates, so this is the best decision."

A groan came from Haruka as she came to lying on the bench Kamito had carried her too. A shivering Arianna came down the steps after Iseria had dispelled her icy prison. "H-h-how d-did y-y-you f-find m-m-me?" she asked through chattering teeth.

Iseria smiled sweetly "That's a secret." Arianna pouted at that.

"I can't believe how strong you are." Misty said, scooting closer to Kamito. "You are on a totally different level than anyone else I have ever met." She reached out to touch Kamito's arm, which he shifted out of the way. He could tell what she was trying to do but, honestly speaking, he just wasn't interested in human girls.

"You three work really well together, that was a good fight. Thank you for your effort." Kamito stood up and bowed his head. "Unfortunately, I must get going. Until we meet again, I wish you well. Atlantae, Est, shall we?" Kamito departed with Iseria holding onto his left arm and Est walking on his right.

"Well phooey." Misty pouted. "I was really wanting to get to know him better."

"We don't need him, his reputation alone could cause us problems. If the rumors really are true, then our purity could be at stake." Arianna stated.

Misty fell over on her back, looking into the Astral Zero sky and sighed. "Yeah, but I bet it would so be worth it." she saw Haruka looking towards the arena with a straight face, but she could see the concern and confusion in her friend's eyes. "Hey, Ruka, What's on your mind?"

"We got lucky." Haruka responded.

"What do you mean?" Arianna asked. "Sure we lost, but I still think we did pretty decent."

Haruka thought back to what Kamito had yelled out when his spirit had been hit with Arianna's attack. " _Iseria!"_ 'He could not have been referring to Iseria Seaward, could he?' Not one to be involved in rumors or gossip, she still knew she had too ask Kamito. She would just have to wait till she wasn't around the others first.

"They let us off easy, they were both holding themselves back significantly. Their strength is unfathomable. I fear that not even Headmistress Greyworth would be unable to stop them if they became serious." Haruka informed her teammates, much to their shock. They knew that among the students at the academy, Haruka was one of the best at reading opponents, so they didn't doubt her assessment.

'So Kamito, you're a more interesting person than I imagined.' Misty thought with a lustful smile.

Kamito was sitting with Iseria drinking tea while Est munched on various pastries from a platter on the center of the cafe table they were occupying when a fuming redhead approached. Flopping into a seat, she snatched up a pastry, muttering "Stupid beast swarm."

Kamito took in Claire's disheveled look with her dirty and rumpled uniform and twigs still in her hair, and exchanged a look with Iseria. "why hello Claire Rouge. Why don't you join us, would you care for a pastry?" Kamito said with mock politeness.

Claire stopped in mid bite, realizing what she was doing. "It's your fault anyway." Claire muttered under her breath.

"What was that?" Kamito asked in a challenging tone.

Claire glared at him for a few seconds before looking away in a huff. "Nothing. P-please pardon my intrusion. May I p-please join you?" The words tasted bitter to Claire.

Kamito nodded and returned to his tea. Claire decided to reach for another bread when a dagger appeared before her hand. Claire jerked her hand back and glared at Kamito.

"I would advise against taking the melon bread. Est seems to have taken a particular liking to them." Kamito nodded his head toward the sword spirit who was frowning at her.

"Ho ho, I never imagined seeing the two of you amicably sharing a table like this." Rinslet said as she approached the table.

"Can it Frosty." Claire grumbled as she grabbed another pastry.

Rinslet was taken aback by this reaction, until she noticed Claire's appearance. "Rough morning?"

"Hmph!" Claire huffed as she bit into a peach filled danish. Suddenly her bad mood seemed to evaporate, at least temporarily.

"Good day, Rinslet. Hello Carol." Kamito greeted the two young women. "Would you care to join us?"

Smiling, Rinslet took the open seat, while Carol stood just behind her. "Thank you Kamito. Congratulations on your victory this morning, I heard was a tough battle."

Kamito smiled "They were good, their abilities worked well together, and their strategy was well thought out. Have either of you been able to form a team yet?"

"... …." Claire looked away uncomfortably. Kamito figured she was having trouble finding someone who didn't see her just as a traitor's sister.

"I am having trouble finding someone who can meet my standards." Rinslet admitted with a flip of her hair.

"Mi'lady has tried to form a few teams, but her high standards and attitude have hindered her progress." Carol whispered conspiratorially to Kamito, who nodded in understanding.

"What about you Kamito? Have you assembled your team yet?" Rinslet asked hopefully. Claire also gave her attention to the only male in the school.

"I still have a few matches that I want to check out, but I have seen several that have potential." Kamito explained.

"I heard there is a new transfer student who is a holy spirit user. Rumor has it that she has a very impressive bust." Carol chimed in.

"A holy spirit user you say." Kamito said in contemplation.

"S-s-so you like girls w-with big chests?" Claire asked looking at the table, placing her hands over her small breasts.

"It isn't the size of the chest that's important, but the size of the heart behind that chest." Kamito stated firmly, giving Iseria's hand a squeeze under the table. This statement earned "Ahs" and starry eyed looks from every girl within hearing range.

"Kazehaya Kamito!" Ellis called out as she approached the table. "I want you to be with me!" Kamito looked at her with a raised eyebrow while Claire and Rinslet gaped at her. Carol giggled and Iseria shook her head.

Ellis heard giggling behind her from Rakka and Reisha. Looking around and seeing the shocked looks on everyone's faces, Ellis realized how her words were received.

"Oh my Captain, so bold." Rakka teased.

"And in front of so many people no less." Reisha added.

"I-I..th-that..I mean…" Ellis became a stuttering mess.

Rakka stepped forward while Reisha attempted to calm Ellis down. "Kamito, what the Captain was trying to ask was if you would consider joining our team for the blade dance."

"She certainly has a way with words." Kamito commented, looking over at the blushing captain of the knights, then back to the smiling Rakka. "And some say I'm bad with teasing, I'm impressed." Kamito grins, earning an even bigger smile from Rakka.

"She just reacts so well." Rakka states with Kamito nodding in agreement.

"Thank you for the offer, but I have not made my final decisions yet, but I will keep your group in mind." Kamito picked up his cup for another drink, but discovered it to already be empty. A different waitress that they had earlier approached and asked if he would like a refill, as well as to see if anyone else would like to place an order. She had long jade gem hair and pointed ears characteristic of the Elfim race.

" _What is Vivian doing here?"_ Kamito looked at Iseria.

" _I'm not sure, but we should keep our guard up. She likes to stir up trouble wherever she goes."_ Iseria responded.

They have encountered the Murders member upon several occasions in their travels, and each encounter was a headache that Kamito wished he could forget. Especially the time that Vivian had discovered him cross dressed and sneaking into a convent while he was investigating rumor of corruption in that town's clergy. It had taken several days to clear that up, and he was still banned from entering that particular town. He later learned that she had been in the area to bribe officials into allowing illegal arms to be transported through the territory.

"One other thing Kamito. Headmistress Greyworth would like you come to her office immediately." Ellis informed him, finally regaining her voice.

"Thank you Ellis."

Making his way to the headmistress' office, Kamito paused and smiled at the familiar energy in the room. Not even bothering to knock, Kamito just opened the door to Greyworth's office and allowed Iseria and Est to enter before he followed.

"I was growing tired of waiting young man." Greyworth scowled.

"Whenever I receive a summons from you, something just makes me want to drag my feet a little more than usual." Kamito shrugged.

"Cheeky brat." Greyworth muttered. Next to the window behind the desk stood a young woman. She was facing away from the office, but Kamito already knew who she was.

"Hello Fianna. It's been a while." Kamito greeted.

Fianna turned around with a small pout. "At least act a little surprised Kamito. Good day, Lady Iseria." Fianna offered a polite curtsey.

"Hello Princess Fianna, I hope you have been well." Iseria greeted Fianna with her own curtsey.

"Hey Fianna, this is Est. She is the former spirit of Areishia Idriss." Kamito introduced Est.

Fianna giggled. "Ironic that the new contractor of the demon slaying sword is the reincarnated Demon King."

"Hmm, I wasn't aware that you were so familiar with Kamito here." Greyworth commented with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes ma'am, Kamito actually saved my life three years ago when my foolishness got me into trouble." Fianna explained, looking out the window wistfully. 'Not to mention he helped me recover my Georgios. I can never thank you enough for that, Kamito.' Fianna thought, placing a hand over her contract seal in her cleavage.

"Very well. That makes this more simple. Kazehaya Kamito, the reason I have summoned you is for a very special mission. Are you familiar with the town of Gado?" Greyworth asked.

"If I'm not mistaken, that is the old abandoned town where they used to mine spirit crystals. What about it?" Kamito responded.

"Recently there have been a number of seismic anomalies occurring around the old mine. According to secret documents, after the mine was abandoned, the military sealed a tactical class spirit in the deepest recesses of the mine." Greyworth explained.

"And you think that the seal may be weakening? Let me guess, you brought Fianna here to perform an inspection of the seal." Kamito said knowingly.

"Precisely." Greyworth confirmed.

"What is it that you need from me?" Kamito already knew why he was here, he just wanted her to say it out loud.

"You are to be her bodyguard. I have taken the liberty of officially listing her as a member of your team. You will be accompanying her on this mission." Greyworth sat back in her seat to watch his reactions, she just wished she could see it when he discovers the last surprise. "I have urgent matters to attend to this evening, you are all dismissed."

Fianna and Iseria both curtsied upon hearing this, while Kamito and Est just turned to leave. "Almost forgot to mention, I saw an old acquaintance of yours today. Vivian Melosa is over in the academy town working in a cafe." Kamito took pleasure in the frown that formed on Greyworth's face.

Out in the hallway, Kamito turned to Fianna. "We will head out first thing in the morning, would you like a tour of the campus?"

"That would be nice, thank you, Ren Ashbell." Fianna teased.

"It would be my honor, Lost Queen. By the way, how is Georgios?" Kamito teased back.

Kamito, along with Iseria, walked with Fianna, showing her the important locations around the academy while Est decided to revert to get sword form and rest. They were sitting on a bench near the fountain in the main courtyard when a couple of familiar faces stopped by.

"Kamito!" Misty called out as she ran up to the male elementalist. Trailing behind her were her teammates, Arianna and Haruka. "Thank you for the great match earlier, it was a lot of fun."

"Hey Misty. Hello again Arianna and Haruka, how are you all doing? You appear to have thawed out a bit Arianna." Kamito greeted the trio.

"Hmph!" Arianna huffed and turned away, but a light dusting of pink could be seen tinting her cheeks.

"I see, you still need to defrost that shoulder, huh?" Kamito teased, causing giggles from the other girls. Arianna's shoulders sagged slightly and she turned back to the group.

"Girls, this is the Second Princess of the Ordesian Empire, Fianna Ray Ordesia. Fianna, this is Misty, Arianna, and Haruka, all second year students." Kamito made introductions.

The trio of girls stared wide eyed and open mouthed for a few moments before bowing their heads low and curtseying deeply, with each girl saying "Your Majesty." or "Your Highness."

"Please, there is no need to show me any special treatment, I'm just a student here, just like you." An embarrassed Fianna blushed at the attention.

Turning back to Kamito, Misty asked "So..umm...Kamito, have you thought about who you want on your team yet?"

"I'm still considering all my options, but for now it is Fianna and myself. We have a task that the headmistress asked us to complete tomorrow, but after that, I will make my decision." Kamito informed Misty.

"Okay, Kamito. Well, talk to you later. It was nice meeting you Fianna." Misty waved goodbye as she and her friends left.

"Come on, I'll walk you to your dorm room." Kamito offered. "I would assume that they have you in the Raven Class dorms."

"No, I'm actually staying in the dorms for the visiting elementalists." Fianna corrected him.

"Well, that's a bit of a coincidence, that is the dorm building we are staying in." Iseria commented. Kamito stated to get a bad feeling as to where this was going.

Arriving at the dorm building, Fianna walked straight to the door that let to the suite that Kamito was staying in. Pulling out a key, Fianna opened the door and burst into a fit of giggles when she saw the decor.

'Why does it not surprise me that the old hag has us sharing the suite?' Kamito face palmed.

Kamito excused himself to the kitchen to cook dinner while Iseria and Fianna sat down and exchanged small talk. A short while later, Est carried a tea service in and set it on the coffee table.

A figure stealthily sprinted from shadow to shadow as it headed toward the main building of the academy. Jio paused behind a tree when he spotted a pair of knights making their patrol. Leaping up to a low branch, the assassin waited for the girls to pass by.

"Tsk. Rich pampered bitches, they don't know how lucky they are that I'm not supposed to permanently harm them. Damned bitches, thinking they are so special being able to contract spirits, I'll show them. After I kill that bastard, Kamito, I'll prove that I am the true Demon King. First, I'll make that Cardinal bitch and that damned darkness spirit submit to me, then I'll return here and show these stuck up bitches what a real man is."

With a feral grin, Jio jumps from his hiding spot, landing just behind the patrolling girls, surprising them. He quickly knocks them out before they can raise the alarm. He drug them off the path and took a moment to appreciate their beauty before sprinting into the school building. Jio was able to quickly locate Greyworth's office, entering and searching for his prize. Surprisingly, it was sitting in the open on her desk.

"Well, that was anticlimactic. Oh well, I guess it's time to have a little fun."

"This is amazing, Kamito. How did you learn to cook so good?" Fianna praised the cook for the evening.

"Some of the side jobs that have come along involved cooking and serving food, so it kind of became a necessity. That and Iseria enjoys good food." Kamito admitted.

Kamito suddenly stiffened in his seat moments before an explosion echoed across the campus. Fianna involuntarily shrank in her seat and Iseria frowned as the look of pure fury on Kamito's face. There had only been a few instances in the past that she could recall Kamito displaying such anger.

"Jio Inzagi." Kamito growled standing up. "Iseria, I need you to stay here and protect Fianna."

"Of course Kamito." Iseria stood up as well.

"I could he…" Fianna started before Kamito interrupted her.

"Jio is another student of the instructional school. I'm sorry, but you wouldn't stand a chance against him. Please stay here with Iseria, this will only take a moment. Come on Est."

"Yes Kamito." Est responded, the two of them rushing from the room.

Ellis was completing her final patrol of the night when a frantic wind spirit found her. She had discovered some time ago that by appeasing the lower classed wind spirits, she could add an extra level of security to the school. The spirit informed her off the intruder and the attack on the patrol group near the main building.

" **Evil winds, pierce through my sworn enemy's heart, become a demonic spear and lodge within my hand!"**

" **I am the witch who gallops across the sky! Air Wings!"** Ellis chanted the spell for high speed flight. In a matter of minutes, Ellis had arrived where the girls had been attacked. Both girls were starting to air when Ellis had arrived.

"Report." Ellis barked once she saw the girls were relatively unharmed.

"Captain, we were taken by a surprise attack from behind. One assailant. Appeared to be male. He had strange tattoos on his face and arms." The knight, Erika Bastian, reported.

"Good work, Erika. Erika, Izumi, I need you to summon the other knights. I'll look for the intruder." Ellis ordered.

"Yes ma'am!" The two knights team off in opposite directions to spread the alarm.

Ellis was searching for clues tip the location on the intruder when an explosion blasted a hole in the side of the main building. 'That was Headmistress Greyworth's office!' Ellis thought as she shielded herself from small pieces of smoldering debris.

A cloaked figured leapt from the hole in the wall to the path near Ellis. Brandishing her Ray Hawk, Ellis charged at the intruder. "In the name of the Sylphid Knights, I command you to halt!"

Jio turned and saw a young woman running towards him with a wicked looking spear. He threw several kunai with paper tags attached in her direction. When they were in close proximity of her, the tags exploded, blasting the spear wielder into the air. She landed hard, tumbling to a stop near some shrubs. "Pathetic! I'm not even going to waste a spirit on you."

Ellis picked herself off the ground and leaned heavily on her spear. Her uniform was singed and tattered, but still hid her modesty. 'Where the hell did those explosions come from?' She warily watched the stranger as he gathered energy into his hand, resembling a swirling blue ball.

" **Evil winds, go and rampage!"** Ellis launched an attack of wind blades at Jio, who dodged them by jumping into the air.

" **Rasengan!"** Jio yelled as he thrust the swirling ball of energy at Ellis.

" **Bakudo 81! Danku!"** A large rectangular shield of energy appeared in front of Ellis, blocking Jio's attack.

"Kamito!" Ellis cried happily as Kamito ran up next to her with Est by his side.

"Tsk. If it isn't the false Demon King. Looks like I get claim my fee early." Jio sneered, jumping back several meters. Raising his hand into the air, several of the chain tattoos began glowing bright red.

 **So concludes chapter 6. Thank you everyone for reading. I know I said that I would get to Gado this chapter, but this just seemed like a good place to stop. Yes, I gave Jio powers from Naruto. I thought that I should give him a power boost since Kamito had already awakened as the Demon King.**

 **I also decided to come up with a few OCs so Kamito could have other fights than just the ones in canon so I could add a little separation from Claire and Rinslet. It was also fun to try and come up with different powers that could be used together. Let me know what you think. If I get enough positive feedback for them, they will appear in future chapters. Otherwise they will just have served their purpose and be retired after this chapter.**

 **Next chapter will definitely be the fight in Gado. Est will also reveal a new ability. Thank you again for your continued support. Have a wonderful day.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry this is so late getting out. Here is Chapter 7**

"Manifest! Ball Lightning!" An orb of lightning sparked to life in Jio's palm.

"Still playing elementalist with those cursed seals I see. Why don't I show you what a real contacted spirit can do?" Kamito stated calmly, although one could still see the anger burning in his eyes. "Est, if you would."

"Yes, Kamito." Est stepped forward. With a swipe of her arm, a dozen wicked looking swords of various designs were called forth. The swords floated ominously in the air, their tips all pointed at Jio.

"Tch." The clamor of approaching feet could be heard in the distance. Jio launched the lightning spirit, not at Kamito, but at Ellis, who was looking confused at the exchange between the two males.

Without taking her eyes off Jio, Est sent several swords to intercept the lightning ball with the sweep of her hand, and directed the rest at Jio himself.

"Manifest! Shifting Sands!" Another chain tattoo glowed red as a wall of sand rose up and blocked the incoming swords. Est directed the swords to attack from several directions, but the sand barrier would continuously shift to block all the attacks.

Ellis was surprised to find herself surrounded by an assortment of floating swords after the lightning spirit had been defeated. She was still trying to comprehend everything that she had been hearing. The intruder accused Kamito of claiming to be the Demon King, but Kamito did not deny that allegation. Both males were using spirits, but Kamito said something about cursed seals. Just what in the hell was going on here?

"Tch. Damned interruptions. Well, my business is done here anyway. False Demon King, Kazehaya Kamito, I'll be waiting for you in Gado. Let's finish this there, where we don't have to hold back around these pampered bitches." Jio threw several kunai with paper tags attached onto the ground, allowing him to escape in the resulting blinding flash of light.

"If we hurry, we can still catch him before he escapes!" Ellis cried out, starting to give chase. Kamito caught her wrist before she could take two steps. "Kamito! Let go of me. Were need to capture the intruder before it's too late."

"Ellis, let him go." Kamito said in a firm tone. "We know where he is going, it's better this way."

"Y-you let him escape?" Ellis reeled in shock.

"Yes, fighting here would have resulted in casualties. He was obviously under orders to not harm any students here, but that would have been unavoidable if we battled on the campus." Ellis could see the reasoning, but her pride as a knight had taken a huge hit.

"Kamito,about what he said…" Ellis started to ask.

"I'm sorry Ellis, but that's not something I am willing to discuss with so many ears close by. I promise to explain later." Kamito interrupted as a large group of girls arrived.

Ellis shot him an angry glare "You'd better." "Knights, assemble! I want teams of no less than five on immediate patrols of the grounds. If you encounter any intruders, do not try and detain them yourselves, call for assistance. Rakka, Reisha, you take a team and check the dorms. Erika, Izumi, you lead a team through the main building. I want to know what the bastard was after."

"Yes Ma'am!" was chorused by all the knights as they grouped up and dispersed.

"Kamito!" Kamito turned to see Claire and Rinslet trotting up. "What's going on? We heard an explosion and the sounds of someone fighting."

"There was an intruder. He got away, but we know where he is going." Kamito explained.

"Kamito!" Fianna called out, running up and throwing her arms around the young man. Iseria followed shortly after.

"Was he after the seal instructions?" Iseria asked.

"I believe so. He is on his way to Gado to deliver them now. Fianna, we need to get there quickly to prevent them from breaking that seal."

"Where do you think you are going?" Ellis stepped in front of Kamito. "This is Syphlid Knight business. I appreciate the assistance before, but I cannot allow you to continue to interfere."

"Sorry Ellis, this is beyond your authority. Fianna and I were given a task in Gado, directly related to tonight's attack. This is a "S-Rank" mission." Kamito told the young captain. "Jio will not escape again." Kamito said with finality. Ellis and the other girls took notice of his clenched fist.

"Very well, but I'm going with you." Ellis glared at Kamito, daring him to argue.

"We're coming too." Rinslet stated, Claire nodding in agreement.

"Girls, we are going up against a force of unknown size, consisting of people far more powerful than you have ever faced before. Your lives will be in danger." Kamito warned.

"All the more reason not to let you go alone. You will need someone to watch your back." Claire insisted.

"You're all serious about this?" Kamito asked, receiving nods all around. "Fine. One last thing, you will learn some dangerous secrets on this mission. Secrets about myself and of the world around us. Just learning these secrets will place you in danger, do you understand?"

The girls looked at each other hesitantly for a few moments. "Why are we just standing around?" Claire broke the silence. "We should get going."

Two girls are sitting around a small fire spirit crystal in the Spirit Forest awaiting their final team member arrive. "Muu..Muir is so bored. Why couldn't Muir go see nii-sama?" A very young looking girl with ash blonde hair done up in short twin tails complained for the tenth time in as many minutes.

Her companion sighed. Her jade green hair swished past her sharply pointed ears as she shook her head in exasperation. "Muir, we have been over this. Jio is expendable, and _she_ told us to wait here for the seal information and then go to Gado to retrieve the militarized spirit for the blade dance."

"Who did you say was expendable?" Jio sneered as he came out of the shadows.

"Did you get the document?" Lily asked unperturbed.

"Of course I did, who do you think you are talking to. If it weren't for that woman forbidding any harm to those rich bitches, I could have killed that bastard, Kamito." Jio stated.

"Jio, did you do something to Nii-sama?" Jio felt a chill creep up his spine.

"Muir, don't forget that Kamito is our enemy for the time being." Lily tried to remind the girl.

Muir's dark and foreboding face turned to the Elfim, who took an involuntary gulp. "Nii-sama will never be Muir's enemy. Nii-sama is just with another team."

"Y-yes, you're right. Kamito is not the enemy." Lily hastily agreed.

Muir's face brightened up and she skipped a short distance away singing "Nii-sama, Nii-sama."

"Jio," Lily whispered, trying to not alert Muir. "What are your observations of Kamito's abilities?"

"The son of a bitch has gone soft. Being around those pampered princesses has made him weak. I don't see what Cardinal sees in the guy, I'm the rightful successor of Demon King Solomon."

"So, the onee-sans are the problem?" Lily and Jio jumped when Muir appeared between them, hanging upside down from a tree branch. "Muir will go kill the onee-sans, and Nii-sama will be Nii-sama again."

"No Muir, you can't do that. Cardinal ordered that none of the students be harmed." Lily stopped Muir from leaving.

"Lily, are you telling Muir What she can and cannot do?" Muir asked with a straight face, her eyes going flat.

Lily started to sweat. "Not at all. I was just reminding you that we have a mission. Wh-what did Kamito always say about missions?"

Muir's eyes shifted as she thought hard. "Ummm...Oh yeah! Nii-sama said to put the mission first and worry about the other stuff later." Muir said with a finger to her cheek. Muir thought about it again, and with a pout "Fine. We'll finish the stupid mission, then I'll kill the onee-sans." Lily figured that was the best she was going to get so went with it.

"Okay Kamito, so out with it. Who was that guy?" Ellis asked once they were under way. There was a brief argument about the riding situation, with Fianna saying that she should ride with Kamito since her horsemanship was lacking, but Iseria refused to give up her spot. Fianna ended up riding with Ellis, Iseria with Kamito, and Claire and Rinslet on their own mounts.

Kamito sighed. "Look, what I am about to tell you goes no further, got it? You can't tell anyone. Not friends, family, servants, no one." Kamito waited until ask the girls acknowledged that they understood. "Have you ever heard of the Instructional School?"

"Wasn't it some orphanage that was performing illegal experiments on the children there?" Claire asked.

"The reports said it was a secret training facility that was destroyed about four years ago. I had seen the report on my grandfather's desk, but I was shooed away before I could read much of it." Ellis said.

"That's correct Ellis, it was a secret school for assassins. Children were brought in from all over the kingdom and forced to go through intense training. Many lost their lives." Kamito informed them.

"What does this have to do with the intruder?" Rinslet asked.

"He was one them, wasn't he?" Claire deduced.

"Yes. His name is Jio Inzagi. He was ranked eighth in the school. I'm only telling you this so you can understand who you are up against." Kamito stated.

"You were there too, weren't you? That's how you know him." Claire guessed.

"What? That's impossible. Kamito is nothing like that jerk." Rinslet exclaimed.

'That would actually explain a lot." Ellis thought to herself.

"Claire's right, Rinslet. Kamito is a former student there." Iseria said sadly, squeezing Kamito lightly.

"What rank were you?" Ellis asked hesitantly, almost afraid of the answer. Kamito didn't say anything, just raised his left hand and extended a single finger.

The girls were silent for a while after that revelation. Kamito couldn't understand it completely, but he was actually worried about what their reaction would be. Iseria accepted who he was, and that was the most important, but for the first time , he found people he could consider as friends. It was Rinslet that broke the silence.

"Well, that's good, right? I mean, he was the strongest after all." Rinslet offered.

"That's right, Kamito is still Kamito. Now you just know a little more about him." Fianna smiled. She was happy that the others were willing to overlook his unfortunate childhood and continue to accept him. She just hoped his other secrets would be as well received if they come light.

Jio, Muir, and Lily arrived in the abandoned mine town of Gado just as the sun was setting the following day. "We need to get to the shrine quickly, company will be arriving soon." Lily told the others.

"Yay! Nii-sama is coming!" Muir cheered. Giggling happily, Muir skipped away, her Jester's Vice mark glowing ominously. "Come on little spirits, let's play a game with Nii-sama." Every spirit that she passed started to go berserk.

Entering the old mine, Lily took a moment to look back at the old town. The frenzied spirits were destroying anything and everything in their wake. "Well, I guess that will slow them down a little." Lily marveled at her companion's antics.

Inside the mine, a second Jio was waiting, holding onto the stolen document. After handing it to the Jio that just arrived, the second Jio disappeared in a puff of smoke. "Here is the seal key, delivered as promised."

Lily took the papers and looked over them briefly before turning to look at the male assassin. "Very well, you are free to duel Kamito as was agreed upon." Lily disliked Jio, and it disgusted her that someone like him was given permission to try and kill Kamito.

Suddenly the three former instructional school students drew their weapons as they felt a presence emerging from the shadows. A young woman clad in mostly silk scarves appeared grinning mischievously. "My my, what a warm welcome."

"Sjora Kahn." Lily almost spat the name.

"I thought I sensed a snake. What are you doing here, Witch?" Jio growled. Muir just stared at the newcomer with flat eyes, fingering a bloodstone, trying to decide whether or not she should dispose of the new ruler of the Alphas Theocracy or not.

"Put that stone away brat. Who do you think supplies you with your little 'toys'?"

"What can we do for you, _Lady_ Sjora?" Lily asked, gritting her teeth. To Muir, she whispered "Let's just get this mission over with." Muir huffed in annoyance and stomped away, brushing a torch on her way. The fire spirit trapped in the crystal flared out of control, scorching the ceiling before it burnt itself out.

If Sjora heard Lily's comment to Muir, she didn't show it. "I heard the Demon King had awakened, and wanted to see if it was true."

"Yeah, it's true and he is standing right here in front of you." Jio stated.

Sjora chuckled derisively as she looked Jio up and down. "That's cute. Oh, wait, you really believe that?" Sjora started to laugh, pissing off Jio.

He raised his hand and one of his seals started glowing. Sjora stopped laughing, but grinned maliciously. Suddenly several hundred magic circles appeared around the cavern. "I had prepared this to test the new Demon King, but if you would like to test it yourself, who am I to refuse."

"Tch." The glow from Jio's seal faded away and the magic circles vanished from view. Jio glared daggers at Sjora before turning on his heel and leaving the chamber.

"That's a good dog, now hurry along and do something useful." Sjora taunted. To Lily "Go and complete whatever task _that woman_ gave you and your ragtag team of so called assassins. I'll handle welcoming our guests."

"As you wish, Lady Sjora." Lily bowed, her fists clenched so tightly her knuckles were white. Lily understood that the Alphas were necessary to achieve Cardinal's, and by extension her own, goals. Still, Lily could not wait until the day she could try out some of her more exotic toxins on the witch.

"What the….what's going on here?" Claire asked, stunned at the sight of the rampaging spirits in the abandoned mining town. Most out the structures were heavily damaged and many of the spirits were starting to leave the confines of the town.

'This presence…" Kamito let a half smile form. 'I wonder if that means Lily is here as well?'

"We need to take care of these spirits before they attack anyone that might be nearby." Kamito stated, dismounting from his horse and assisting Iseria down. An earthquake shook the area, spooking the horses and causing Fianna to fall off. Kamito was able to catch her before she hit the ground, earning jealous glares from the other girls.

Summoning their elemental waffes, Claire and Rinslet began to engage the maddened spirits. "Kamito, we can take care of these spirits. Go, we'll catch up when we're done here." Claire said, a fireball in one hand and her flametongue in the other.

"Leave these small fry to us." Rinslet agreed, firing arrow after arrow.

"Right, you two be careful. Good hunting." Kamito nodded. He led the others to the mine entrance while Claire and Rinslet confronted the rampaging spirits in the old town.

Kamito stopped the group asset the mine entrance. "I want everyone to be very cautious in here. Those spirits out there were like that because of another instructional school assassin. That means Jio is not working alone. Standard procedure called for teams of three, so there is likely a third down here. Watch your backs and stay together."

"What about Claire and Rinslet? How do we know that one of them are not waiting to ambush anyone that status outside?" Ellis asked concerned.

"I know that two of them entered the mines, and if I'm right about who the third is, she would not be able to leave the other two alone. Someone has to babysit those two after all." Kamito chuckled and entered the mine, followed by Iseria, leaving the other two confused. They quickly snapped to and rushed to catch up.

In a large room just inside the mine sat an elaborate shrine that had been demolished. After carefully inspecting the rubble, all but Ellis proceeded further into the mine.

"Are we too late? Have they already made off with the militarized spirit?" Ellis asked.

"No, this was not the true shrine. It will be much closer to the heart of the mountain." Fianna explained. "The documents they stole not only contained the key to the seal, but also the location of the true shrine. There are many false shrines throughout the tunnel system."

"The destruction of the false shrines is probably the cause of the disturbances that alerted the Empire." Kamito added.

The group proceeded further into the shrine in silence so as to avoid alerting the group of assassins they knew were ahead of them. In the passage just outside a large grotto Kamito suddenly froze. He could tell that Iseria and Fianna felt it as well.

"Kamito, what is it?" Ellis asked in concern after seeing the looks shared by the others. That is when she noticed it as well. The area was too still. Even in a mine, wind spirits, even if just minor ones, should be present, but this area was completely devoid of them.

"We have company up ahead, but their energy is unfamiliar to me." Kamito whispered.

"There is also powerful magic as work here." Fianna said, placing her hand on a wall and closing her eyes. "It appears someone set a trap for us." She said stating the obvious. The ground rumbled again, slightly stronger than the last time.

"This is the only path to the true shrine." Iseria stated.

"Well then, how about we greet our host? It would be rude of its not to after they put so much effort into their welcoming." Kamito grinned, unsheathing Est. Ellis summoned Ray Hawk and Iseria placed her hands together, forming her waffe as she separated her hands and spread her arms wide. Unlike when Kamito used her waffe, this time it took the appearance of a double bladed naginata. The corridor they were currently in was too tight for Fianna to summon Georgios.

Cautiously entering the large room, everyone's guard was up, ready for whatever trap that was going spring on them. When they reached the center of the room, several hundred magic circles appeared, with demon spirits of every type emerging. The flow of spirits seemed unending.

Kamito slashed through a circle that appeared beneath their feet before it could disgorge any of its spirits. "Well isn't this a fun little jack in the box?"

The spirits in themselves were not very powerful, but due to their sheer numbers, the group was getting a workout. It seemed for every one spirit killed, three more would take its place. Suddenly the ground quaked again.

"Kamito." Iseria called out. "You and Fianna need to get to the true shrine quickly, there is not much time left. Ellis and I can handle things here."

Kamito was about to argue when an even larger tremor shook the room. "Very well, but you take care of yourself." Kamito said, kissing Iseria gently on the lips. Fianna and Ellis silently agreed to be jealous after this quest was done.

"Of course. Kamito." Iseria responded, returning the kiss. "You think I'd let myself be defeated by such weak spirits?" She smirked.

Kamito released his grip on Est's hilt and she returned to her human form. With a swipe of her arm, Est sent a dozen swords out, skewering many demon spirits.

" **Thou, servant of the king of the child of man, knight and master swordsman! By the contract of the old blood, become the sword that protects me, come forth and do my bidding! "** Fianna recited, the spirit brand between her bountiful breasts glowing brightly, as she summoned her contracted spirit, Georgios. The glowing giant armored knight swing its massive sword in a wide arc. Although relatively slow due to its size, more than a dozen demon spirits were cut down like wheat before a scythe.

Sjora scowled at the battle she was witnessing. So far her horde of spirits had only inflicted minor damage, but they were falling in incredible numbers. She was just about to enter the fray herself when she recognized one of Kamito's companions. "It can't be. Why would an Elemental Lord be here?" she decided the best course of action for now would to just observe. Slowly Sjora worked her way through the shadows to the entrance of the grotto in case she needed to make an escape.

"Alright Fianna, I'm going to clear a path. Be ready to move." Kamito said raising his right hand.

"I'm ready, Kamito." Fianna responded from behind Georgios' shield.

" **Sprinkled on the bones of the beast! Sharp tower, red crystal, steel ring."** Kamito began an incantation, he placed his left hand under his right arm for added support as yellow tendrils of energy formed around his arm. " **Move and become the wind, stop and become the calm. The sound of warring spears fills the empty castle! Hado 63: Raikoho!"** Kamito was pushed back a short distance as a giant blast of lightning shot from his outstretched hand, obliterating every spirit in a wide swath. With the exception of Iseria, every other person watched, frozen with awe, as yellow lightning continued to dance around Kamito's arm in the aftermath of the spell.

'A male elementalist that can use the Demon Arts...the rumors were true, Solomon's successor has emerged. Interesting, I must return to Scorpia immediately. There is much to consider.' Sjora was already plotting on the best way to exploit this new information as she silently slipped into the darkness.

"Fianna! Let's go!" Kamito called out, snapping the princess out of her stupor.

"Right!" She responded, running after Kamito toward the path to the true shrine. Reaching the tunnel, Fianna releases her summoning of Georgios, allowing the spirit to return once more to Astral Zero.

"Ellis! Behind you!" Iseria calls out the the captain of the knights.

"Huh? Oh, right!" Ellis came to, ducking under a demon spirit that flew at her.

Sjora hid behind the shattered shrine as Claire and Rinslet, who had finally eliminated the rampaging spirits on the surface, came rushing in trying to catch up with the rest of the group. Sjora slipped silently out there entrance once the coast was clear, not noticing the inky black tentacles following her through the shadows. With the caster gone, the magic circles began closing one by one, stemming the flow of incoming spirits.

Kamito and Fianna noticed the path was getting smoother the further they trekked into the mountain. Est was walking on Kamito's right side, ready to become his sword at a moment's notice. Fianna was to Kamito's left and a pace behind him. The tunnel was strangely bright ahead of them, too bright to be torch light. Kamito swore he heard giggling coming from the end of the tunnel. Near the end, the tunnel was covered in polished tiles that seemed to glow brighter just due to their presence.

"These tiles are made of high quality spirit crystal!" Fianna said excitedly.

"Fianna, be on your guard, we are facing three assassins from the Instructional School." Kamito cautioned Fianna as they entered the anteroom of the True Shrine. Standing in the center of the room with a smirk on his face was Jio Inzangi.

"It's about time you showed your face, I was beginning to think you weren't coming." Jio sneered.

"Huh? Did you say something? Sorry, I tend to ignore self important overconfident piss ants." Kamito said in a bored tone. In truth, Kamito was searching for the location of the other two he knew were nearby. Well, that and he loved pissing Jio off.

"Why you…" Jio started when Kamito tensed up and braced himself. Something was heading straight for him at a very high speed.

"Oof!" Fianna blinked several times in surprise when a blur slammed into Kamito and he disappeared with a loud crash followed shortly by a scream of "NII-SAMA!" Fianna was shocked to see Kamito standing twenty feet away with a young girl, astound fourteen if Fianna had to guess, with ash blonde hair clinging tightly to Kamito. Est had summoned several dozen swords the instant she felt Kamito brace himself and was about to eliminate the person foolish enough to attack her master, but held back when Kamito waved her off.

"NII-SAMA!NII-SAMA!IT'SREALLYYOU!MUIRHASMISSEDNII-SAMASOMUCH!WHY DIDN'TNII-SAMACOMELOOKINGFORMUIR?MUIRISSOHAPPYTOSEEHERNII-SAMA!" Muir cried out almost incoherently.

Kamito posted the girl's head as he looked down and smiled at his adopted little sister. "Now now, calm down Muir. It's okay, I'm here. I've missed you too."

Kamito looked up to see a young woman with jade green hair and pointed ears walk up next to a fuming Jio holding her face with her hand, shaking her head. Lowering her hand, She looked at Kamito with scarlet red eyes and a soft smile. "Master Kamito." she said with a small bow of her head.

"Lily, you are looking well." Kamito smiled at the Elfim.

Lily turned her attention to Muir, who was staring at Kamito with stars in her eyes. "Muir, don't forget, Kamito is our enemy now. We have a mission to complete."

Muir slowly turned to face Lily, the smile and stars in her eyes disappearing, her face becoming emotionless. "What did you just say, Lily?" The time of her voice like ice.

*crack!* "Owwie, owwie!" Muir turned teary eyes to Kamito, who had just karate chopped the young girl in the top of the head when he saw she was about to attack Lily.

With a heavy sigh. "Muir, I hate to admit it, but Lily is right. We are not allies right now. What have I told you about attacking your comrades?" Kamito admonished the girl.

"That's okay, see, you just said we're not comrades, so that makes it fine." Muir said with skewed reasoning. *crack!* "Owwie! But Kamito…." Muir pouted after reviving another chop to the head.

Jio was absolutely seething with anger watching this exchange. Everyone was ignoring him, the true Demon King! How dare they treat him as though he was insignificant! "Hey! Who do you think you all are?! Don't ignore me, I'M THE DEMON KING!"

Lily and Muir frowned as they looked at the boy throwing a tantrum. Fianna was still trying to figure out what was going on. Kamito just rolled his eyes. "You're still here? Do everyone a favor and just go away."

Jio couldn't believe he was just brushed off like that. Seeing red, Jio screamed "I'm going to kill you! Then I'm going to kill everyone you care about. I'll start with these stupid girls here, then all those bitches from that pompous school! That way you all can spend all eternity together!"

Kamito's eyes narrowed as he pushed Muir behind him. "Fianna, summon your spirit and stay behind his shield." Kamito said coldly. Fianna had never heard Kamito speak like that and quickly did as he said. Muir was about to release a spirit from a stone and Lily was reaching for a poisoned dart and her blow gun, but both stopped when they saw the look in Kamito's eyes. In all the years they knew him, they never saw him angry. Jio was oblivious in his rage at being ignored.

Est vanished in a cloud of spirit particles and reformed as a sword in Kamito's hand. "Jio, I'm about to show you what it means to be the Demon King." Closing his eyes and focusing inward, Kamito simply stated "I am the Demon King."

Claire and Rinslet made it to the grotto just the last of the magic circles closed. There were still several hundred spirits, but at least no more would be appearing. Iseria was only barely breathing hard, but looked as though she had just been through a minor workout. Ellis, on the other hand, looked as though she was about to give out. She was panting heavily and her uniform was in tatters.

Not wasting a moment, both girls jumped into the fray. Claire swung out with her flaming whip, burning through several spirits while Rinslet nocked an arrow. " **Oh freezing ice fang, pierce your target! Freezing Arrow!"** The single arrow turned into a multitude of ice shards, mowing down a large number of spirits, and taking the pressure off of Ellis.

"To think I had to accept assistance from those two." Ellis mumbled under her breath. It wasn't as though she considered either girl to be weak, in fact she believed both to be quite talented, it was just having to deal with their superior attitudes that she wasn't looking forward to.

Suddenly massive surge our divine power choked the air. The demon spirits stopped attacking and instinctively fled to the shadows to escape back to Astral Zero. "Wh-what is that?" Ellis asked the question on the minds of all the girls.

Iseria just looked down the corridor leading to the True Shrine. "Kamito."

"Th-that's Kamito?" Claire asked, stunned by the malice she could feel in the overwhelming power.

"Just what kind of monster is he?" Rinslet asked fearfully.

"Let's just put it this way, you don't want to piss him off. But you girls have nothing to worry about, he considers you as close friends." Iseria stated with a small smile.

" **I am the Demon King."** This was the power of the 'words of suggestion' he had used to deal away his powers. Suddenly an evil wind blew through the shrine. The amount of divine power flowing from Kamito was so great, it appeared as shadowy flames surrounding his body. Opening his eyes, Kamito smirked at the startled expression on Jio's face.

'What the hell is this overwhelming power?' Jio took an involuntary step back. 'No! I am the strongest! I am the Demon King! Not him! I can beat him. I HAVE TO BEAT HIM!' Jio psyched himself up and assumed a fighting stance.

"Even now you are still trying to fight me?" Kamito asked incredulously.

"I AM THE DEMON KING! NOT YOU, ME! ME!" Jio screamed. Placing his hands together, he performed several complicated hand signs. In a puff of smoke, there were now fifty copies of Jio in various fighting stances. More than a few of the copies were holding elemental waffes, while the others were either holding shuriken or kunai.

"Est, Weapon Works: Twin Fangs." Est, in her sword form, glowed blindingly bright. When the light faded, Kamito was holding two kodachi short swords. The Jios screamed and attacked as one, trying to overwhelm Kamito with numerical superiority. Kamito closed his eyes and focused on trying to locate the real Jio. 'Hmm, he's improved, these are true clones, not just illusions.'

" **Absolute Blade Arts, Third Form: Shadowmoon Waltz!"** Kamito waited until the clones were nearly on top of him and then unleashed a fury of spinning slashes, eliminating all but a half dozen Jios. Dodging the shuriken thrown by the survivors, Kamito moved on to dispatch the remaining clones when Fianna screamed out in warning.

"Kamito! Behind you!" Kamito suddenly heard a high pitched sound like a flock of small birds behind him as the real Jio appeared and lunged at him, his arm arcing with electricity.

"Die bastard!" Jio screamed, thrusting his electrified hands to impale Kamito through the heart. Just before his hand reached its target, a hexagonal shield appeared and stopped his attack instantly. The shield faded from view as Jio jumped back to create some distance.

"Did you honestly think I would leave my back unprotected, especially with your penchant for stabbing people in the back?" Kamito asked in a semi mocking voice.

"Damn you!" Jio cursed. "Why do you always have to get in my way? You have always blocked my path. What do I have to do to beat you?"

"This world does not need another tyrant to rule, but someone who can free it from the chains of oppression. You fight solely for your own gain, I fight for the sake of others. That's the difference between us, and the reason you will never defeat me." Kamito stated calmly. "Let's end this."

" **Absolute Blade Arts, Destructive Form: Bursting Blossom Spiral Blade Dance!"** Shifting his grip to have his right sword in a standard grip and the left in a reverse grip, Kamito launched himself at Jio, his slashes causing sprays of blood that almost resembled a flower. " **8 hits, 16 hits,"** each strike coming faster than the previous one " **32 hits, 64 hits."** Kamito slid to a stop next to Fianna while Jio collapsed to his knees, gasping hard trying to remain conscious. "Jio, I made sure that the wounds are not life threatening, but if I ever see you again, _I Will Kill You._ " Kamito promised, Est returning her single sword form.

"My my, not so full of yourself now, are we?" A young woman's voice taunted as a female form descended amid floating feathers.

"Restia." Kamito said with narrowed eyes.

"Perhaps you now understand your place, on your knees kneeling in front of the true Demon King." Restia continued to taunt Jio before turning her attention to Kamito. "Hello, Kamito. What's with that look? Aren't you happy to see me?" Restia asked innocently.

Iseria and the girls entered the shrine just after Kamito defeated Jio. "Kamito!" Ellis, Claire, and Rinslet called out as they rushed to check on the young man that had stolen their hearts. Iseria just calmly walked up and placed a hand on Kamito's shoulder. Not wanting to feel left out, Fianna joined the other girls standing with Kamito.

Muir clenched her fists in anger. 'Who do those Onee-sans think they are getting that close to Nii-sama? Muir needs to punish the Onee-sans.'

"Kamito, I'm hurt." Restia sighed dramatically. "To think that I have been replaced by your little harem there."

The human girls all started blushing and were about to voice their denials (or hopeful confirmation in Fianna's case), but we're cut off when Kamito raised his hand to silence them. "No one Couls ever replace you, Restia." Kamito placed his hand on Iseria's to make sure she knew he still loved her. "But I can't approve of your actions."

"That may be so, but you still aren't quite where you need to be to take your proper place in this world." Restia shrugged unapologetically.

While everyone was distracted, Jio was able to get back on his feet. Moving as fast as his injured body would allow him, Jio appeared behind Restia and threw a blood stone on the ground at her feet. " **Capture and Corrupt: Manifest, Mad King Nebuchadnezzar!"** Jio began laughing maniacally as a black smoke entwined around a struggling Restia.

Kamito quickly pushed everyone behind him reflexively. "Kamito…" Restia reached for Kamito as her eyes glazed over and she was fully engulfed in the smoke.

"Restia!" Kamito reached for Restia's outstretched hand, just to grasp air as she vanished. Restia's waffe, the Vorpal Sword, appeared in Jio's hands as he continued to laugh. "Behold! This is the power of the Mad King Nebuchadnezzar! He gives me control over other spirits! Come now, Demon King! Let's see you destroy your precious Darkness Spirit!" Jio screamed. Pointing the black sword Iseria and the others, Jio charged up the sword's signature attack. "Vorpal blast!" Black lightning shot from the tip, but to everyone's shock, Kamito caught the attack in his bare hand and absorbed the lightning into himself.

Kamito released his grip on Est, who was glowing brightly. " **Senkei."** All light in the shrine faded to darkness. Suddenly, light came back as countless glowing swords materialized, floating in four rows, each row rotating in opposite directions. The girls from the academy huddled together in fear from the display of power, they had not seen such a display since Rubia Elstein had betrayed the Fire Elemental Lord. Iseria looked on concerned as even she had never seen this form before. Muir looked on in awe, stars in her eyes.

Lily was torn, she hated Jio vehemently, but should someone as powerful Kamito be allowed to exist? She was slowly extracting a dart with her most deadly poison when several swords impaled the ground around the two assassins. Lily looked wry Kamito to see that he was staring at her, frowning. He slowly shook his head and she instantly got the message 'Don't interfere if you value your life.'

Jio was terrified. He didn't know that power such this existed outside the Elemental Lords. Feeling something warm running down his leg, he looked down to see the growing strain that signified that his bladder had just relieved itself. His only hope was that he was still holding onto Restia. Maybe there was some way he could bluff his way out.

Kamito held out a hand and a glowing sword appeared. " **Absolute Blade Arts, First Form: Violet Lightning!"** Kamito moved so fast that he seemed to teleport past Jio. Jio watched in wide eyed horror as the arm that held the black sword hostage separated from his body, and spun away from him, almost in slow motion.

Jio screamed as he grasped the stump that used to be his arm. He was on the verge of blacking out when he saw Kamito raise his left hand.

"Jio, this _will_ be the last time we meet." Purple energy formed in Kamito's upraised palm.

" **Seeping crest of turbidity. Arrogant vessel of lunacy! Boil forth and deny! Grow numb and flicker! Disrupt sleep! Crawling queen of iron! Eternally self-destructing doll of mud! Unite! Repulse! Fill with soil and know your own powerlessness! Hado 90: Kurohitsugi!"** Black boxes started encase a struggling Jio, but he was frozen in place as the boxes climbed ever higher until he was no longer visible. When the column of darkness reached the ceiling of the shrine, innumerable cross shaped spears penetrated the box.

Releasing the spell, Jio's mutilated body was revealed laying in a pool of blood. The room returned to normal as Est, exhausted from exertion, resumed a human form in Kamito's arms. "Good job, Est. You can rest now." Kamito offered his sword spirit a kind smile and patted her head as she promptly fell asleep in his arms, slipping into her resting sword form.

 **There we tho, chapter 7 is finished. This chapter just didn't want to come together, i rewrote out several times trying to get it where i was at least satisfied with it. So Kamito showed his unreleased power and Jio is dead. Did he need to release? Not in the slightest, but he wanted Jio to truly understand how outclassed he was. Next chapter, Kamito deals with the fallout of his battle and we learn more about Lily and Muir's mission.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry about the late update. I took my family on vacation last month and thought I would have time at night to get some writing done, but I underestimated what time we would be returning to the hotel each night. I would like to thank everyone who has taken an interest in my writing and I will do my best to update on a quicker basis. I took this chapter to look into the past between Fianna and Kamito, I hope you enjoy.**

Kamito gazed down fondly as the now sleeping Est faded into her resting sword form before gently placing her into the scabbard on his side. ' _You did good, Est. Thank you.'_ Kamito could feel a sense of happiness and contentment come from the sleeping sword spirit.

Turning serious, Kamito sent a warning glare at Lily and Muir as he went to check on Restia, Who was still in her waffe state on the ground next to Jio's severed arm. Lily was cautiously watching Kamito, her mind obviously preoccupied with what had just transpired while Muir was excitedly watching the young man she considered her older brother with stars in her eyes.

Iseria was keeping a close eye on the two female assassins. It had not escaped her attention the the Elfim girl had considered attacking Kamito during the fight. Watching as Kamito tenderly picked Restia's waffe, she could not help but feel a pang of jealousy. She knew Kamito cared greatly for her, but it was still difficult seeing him so close to someone she considered a rival for his affections.

Kamito carefully picked Restia from where she lay on the ground and could feel that she was still under the control of the spirit that Jio had used on her. Pumping divine power into Restia's contract seal on his left hand, Kamito winced slightly as he forcefully freed Restia from Nebuchadnezzar's control.

The black sword phased out of sight to be replaced by Restia in her human form. Her dusk colored eyes opened slowly, looking upon the face is her contractor. "Kamito…" Restia said softly as she cupped Kamito's cheek. Suddenly restia's eyes hardened. Leaping from his arms, Restia demanded. "Where is that son of a bitch, Jio?!" Noticing the mutilated form of the former assassin, Restia stormed over and spit on the corpse before kicking the body, sending it skidding into the far wall.

Restia dropped her knees, tears of frustration in her eyes, how could she have dropped her guard so much as to allow herself to become possessed as she did. She was the embodiment of Ren Ashdoll, the Elemental Lord of Darkness. Jio had caught her completely off guard, she didn't consider him to be a threat, and that cost her dearly.

Kamito knelt down and placed a hand on her shoulder. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths to calm herself before standing with Kamito's assistance, nodding silently to let him know she was alright.

Giving Restia a minute to collect herself, Kamito approached his former colleagues from the instructional school. He glanced over at the girls from the academy and knew he had a lot of explaining to do before this was all said and done. This was getting troublesome.

Getting to where Muir and Lily were standing, Kamito noted that Muir was almost bouncing with excitement. Lily had a much more guarded expression. "So, where do we go from here?" Kamito asked with his arms crossed. "I would really prefer not fighting either of you, but I cannot allow you to awaken that spirit."

"You were so awesome Nii-sama!" Muir exclaimed. "Will you play with me? I've gotten stronger too, wanna see?"

Kamito couldn't help but smile a bit. "Not right now, Muir. Maybe another time." Kamito said, rubbing the of her head.

"Okay Nii-sama!" Muir giggled. Lily watched their interaction with a calculated eye.

"And you, Lily? What are your intentions?" Kamito queried.

Lily considered what she knew, and what she had observed. Yes, Kamito was powerful, more powerful that she thought should be possible for a mortal, but he was not consumed by that power. He still showed consideration for his comrades, even former comrades and those he considered enemies. Even after killing Jio, he did not show any signs of succumbing to the power he wielded. "Our mission is complete, we will withdraw."

"Wah! But I want to stay with Nii-sama." Muir whined.

"I'm sorry, Muir, but for now I need you to stay where you are." Kamito said with his hand on her head.

"Ahhh..but why?" Muir asked looking up at Kamito with puppy dog eyes.

"Because I need you to do something for me, but first…" Kamito looked to Lily "I need to know where your loyalties lay."

Lily placed her arm across her chest and bowed her head. "What are your orders, Master Kamito?"

Kamito's hard expression softened a bit. "Okay, good. Here is what I need from the two of you. I want updates as to the status the blade dance teams, as well as any information you can get me about the current conditions in the Alphas Theocracy. I was also wondering if you had any information about the person who is calling themself Ren Ashbell?"

Lily bit her lip and cast a quick glance at Claire before looking away quickly. Looking over his shoulder, Kamito could see that the girls were trying too appear that they were not listening fire possible information about their idol. Catching Fianna's gaze, Kamito felt a small shiver of apprehension at the mischievous twinkle in her eye and knowing smirk.

"I'm sorry, but I don't have any information I can give you at this time." Kamito chuckled lightly at the groan of disappointment from the girls.

"You know, I happen to be well acquainted with Ren Ashbell." Kamito heard Fianna whisper conspiratorially. Kamito sent a scathing glare at Fianna who just smiled innocently back. "Why don't we all meet up at my room when we get back to the academy? I'm sure Kamito won't mind." Fianna suck her tongue out at Kamito once all the girls' attention was directed toward him.

Turning back to Fianna, Claire asked "Why would it matter if Kamito minded?"

"Because I am staying in the spare room of his suite." Fianna answered simply. "He is serving as my _bodyguard_ , so it only makes sense for me to be close to him." She explained before any of the girls could ask.

Fianna felt smug satisfaction at the jealous looks from the other girls and Kamito just rolled his eyes at the young princess's antics.

Restia, having finally collected herself, walked up to Kamito. "You've been holding out on me. I knew you were hiding your power before, but I wasn't able to tell just how much you were holding back. Maybe next time I can show you another use for that power." Restia said seductively, tracing Kamito's jawline with her finger. Smirking at Iseria, Restia leaned in and planted a kiss on Kamito's lips that staggered the young man and left the girls all blushing. As the kiss ended, Restia slowly vanished in a cloud of feathers.

"Kamito…." Kamito was still recovering from Restia's kiss when a clearly annoyed Iseria wrapped her arms around the back of his neck and pulled him in for an even more intense kiss. This time as the kiss ended, the young Demon King's knees gave out and he collapsed to the floor of the shrine.

*Thud* Everyone looked over to see that Muir had fainted, a small trickle of blood leaking from her nose.

Iseria blushed at how bold she had just been, but she was satisfied with the effect that the kiss had on the young man that had taken her heart. Kamito blinked several times as he regained his composure. Taking several deep breaths he focused on sealing away a majority of power, returning to his normal level. The girls sighed a breath of relief when they felt his power recede. Getting to his feet, Kamito stretched a few times to get reaccustomed to his restrained self.

"Fianna, go ahead and reinforce the seal, then we can all head back." Kamito instructed.

"Yes, Kamito." Fianna acknowledged.

Lily had just assisted Muir back to her feet. "Kamito, I do have one bit of information for you." Kamito looked as her and waited for her to continue. "Vivian Melosa is somewhere in the academy town under orders of Sjora Kahn. I'm not sure what her objective is, so watch your back."

"I was wondering why she was in the area...Thank you Lily." Kamito nodded in acknowledgement.

Kamito watched as Lily summoned Titania, her contracted spirit, and commanded it to gather Jio's body. A vine extended from the plant spirit to retrieve Jio's severed arm. "We will be taking our leave now, we need to report in soon. Take care, Master Kamito." Lily announced, climbing onto an open flower blossom.

"Wah!" Muir cried out, glomping onto Kamito. "Nii-sama, do I really have to go?"

"Just for now, Muir. I promise we will see each other again soon, okay?" Kamito assured the young girl.

"Okay, Nii-sama. I'll be waiting for you." While still hugging Kamito, Muir turned her attention to the girls from the academy. "If you onee-sans try anything with Nii-sama" Muir's voice suddenly turned cold as ice "I'll kill you. Owwie Owwie!" Muir rubbed the top of her head where Kamito just chopped her.

"Muir, behave. They are my comrades as well." Kamito scolded.

Muir turned away and crossed her arms over her flat chest, pouting. "Fine. Stupid onee-sans aren't worth my time anyway." She mumbled. Kamito chuckled lightly and scrubbed his hands through her hair. Muir hugged him one more time before joining Lily on another open blossom. She waved goodbye as the petals obscured her and the plant sank into the ground.

"Kamito," Ellis said cautiously. "Are you sure it's wise to let them go?"

Kamito turned to see three nervous faces looking back at him. Kamito let out a long sigh. He wondered how they would react to learning more about his past. He could still remember Fianna's reaction barely a year after the blade dance.

 **Flashback**

Fianna was riding in a carriage on her way to meet a potential suitor that her family had arranged. Ever since she lost her ability to summon her contract spirit, her family had been looking for a way to marry her off. Even without the ability to summon her spirit, she still had political value as a member of the royal family. Having just turned fourteen, she still had the luxury of being able to turn down any offers that were presented to her, but even she knew that was only temporary. Eventually, she figured she had about two more years, she would be married off to the family that presented the greatest political leverage, regardless of her feelings.

A loud crash alerted the princess that something wasn't right. The carriage she was in came to an abrupt halt, throwing her to the floor. She listened in horror as the driver and her chaperone screamed just before they were silenced forever. Fianna screamed as a large hands literally erupted the carriage door off its hinges. An older man with grey streaks in his hair appeared in the doorway.

"I'm sorry princess, but your date with the Prince of Baltistan has been cancelled." The man sneered as he grabbed Fianna by the hair and dragged her out of the carriage. Once she was outside, Fianna could see that there were about twenty people. There were a few men with various weapons, but the majority were female, obviously elementalists from the scattering of spirits that were around. A couple of animal like spirits were currently squabbling over the remains of the carriage driver, an elder man who had always treated her kindly. Fianna couldn't help but burst into tears at the sight.

"Shut the fuck up bitch!" The leader of the gang yelled, backhanding Fianna across the cheek. She could taste blood in her mouth from a split lip. "Don't worry, we're not going to kill you, the ransom you are going to bring us is incentive enough to keep you alive."

"But that doesn't mean that we won't sample the goods though." Another bandit laughed.

"Yeah, after we're done with you, you won't have to worry about not being able to summon spirits anymore." One of the females added. Scared and desperate, Fianna drew a dagger that she had hidden in her blouse and attempted to slash her captors.

The dagger was stripped from her hand before she even realized it. "That was naughty. Let's see what else you are hiding in here." One of the men said ripping the top of her dress open, exposing her developing breasts. Fianna cringed as rough hands groped her young flesh.

"You know, there are few things in this world that truly piss me off, and mistreating a lady is near the top of the list." A new voice called out angrily. Everyone's attention was drawn to a young man with a beautiful young woman with blue hair.

"Who in the fuck are you?" A bandit spat, drawing his sword.

"I'm your worst nightmare." The young man growled before seeming to vanish. A wet cough came from the leader of the group who was still holding Fianna by the hair. Looking down, the man discovered the boy's arm buried to his elbow in his chest. Fianna's hair was released as the man fell over dead.

"What the.." The second man's exclamation was cut short as the boy chopped him in the adams apple, crushing his windpipe.

"K-Kamito?" Fianna asked wide eyed. This could not be the same boy that had saved her last year. Then, he had at least appeared remorseful after defeating the Dryad that was attacking her. This young man seemed completely emotionless at having taken two men's lives right in front of her.

"Get the bastard!" "He's dead!" "He won't get away with this!" Were among the shouts from the group of bandits as they brandished their assorted weapons.

"Weapon works: Twin Fangs!" Kamito shouted as two kodachi short swords glowed into existence in his hands. Blood quickly coated both blades as well as the ground as Kamito charged the on coming bandits. Fianna was shivering in fear watching the display. It reminded her of the feeling when Rubia betrayed the Fire Elemental Lord and burnt down the shrine. Movement caught Fianna's eye as an elementalist bandit tried to flank Kamito's blind side with a wicked looking spear waffe.

"Kamito! Behind you!" Fianna called in warning. Kamito ducked under the spear thrust and slashed the girl across the belly, spilling her insides onto the ground. Fianna was determined not to let the fear she felt overwhelm her again. A strong sensation radiated from her chest and looking down, Fianna could see a glow coming from the pact seal in her bosom. With renewed determination, Fianna recited the incantation to summon her contract spirit.

" **Thou, servant of the king of the child of man, knight and master swordsman! By the contract of the old blood, become the sword that protects me, come forth and do my bidding!"** The seal on Fianna's chest glowed even brighter as, for the first time since the Calamity Queen incident, the holy knight Georgios appeared before his master, awaiting her orders.

"What the fuck!" One of the female bandits exclaimed. "She was supposed to have lost her spirit!"

"That doesn't matter now, we can take down that walking tin can." Another chimed in. The two elementalists closed in on Fianna and Georgios, one carrying a large scythe and the other controlling a large cat like spirit that resembled a panther. Georgios used his shield to bat away the panther and blocked the scythe with his sword, using his superior strength to overwhelm the scythe's user. Quickly recovering, the scythe user swung her weapon, launching a dark wave like blast at the knight. The blast was intercepted by Georgios's shield as the panther leapt onto his back. Georgios stabbed his sword into the ground to free a hand to grab the panther. He slammed the panther to the ground and quickly retrieved his sword, stabbing through the panther, sending it back to Astral Zero.

"That was for Jeane!" Fianna yelled.

"You bitch!" The panther's elementalist screamed pulling a kris dagger from behind her back. Before she could attack the princess, a blade pierced through her chest. The elementalist watched as the blade slowly slid out of her chest before her eyes rolled to the back of her head as she collapsed in a heap. The scythe wielder looked around and noticed she was the only member of hey party still alive.

Pulling an ancient looking ring from a pouch on her back, she screamed "Let's see how you handle this….Colossus!" The artifact drained all the divine power from the female bandit before exploding in a shower of spirit particles. The bandit was crushed under a massive foot as the Colossus was released. Kamito instantly recognized it as a battle class militarized spirit, probably bought on the black market, even though they didn't have enough elementalists to properly control it.

Exchanging a look with his companion, who had stayed out of the fighting so far, Kamito dispelled his swords and closed his eyes.

" **Mistress of the tempest seas, protector of waters near and far! Now is the time to abide the contact made in blood, become my blades to purify the world!"** Fianna watched in wonder as the blue haired girl evaporated from sight and a dual bladed sword formed in Kamito's hands.

'That girl was a spirit!' Fianna instantly realized, but this one was far different than the one Kamito used at the blade dance as Ren Ashbell. 'Where it's his darkness spirit?' Deciding that was a better question for the future, Fianna watched the battle before her, and hoped she would be able to be of some assistance to the young man that was fighting for their survival.

Standing just over thirty meters, around 100 feet tall, the spirit dwarfed the two teens. Fianna did not hear Kamito mutter 'I am the Demon King' releasing his full power, but she was suddenly drowning in divine power. She had never felt such power, and although it terrified her, she resolved to not let the fear control her. She watched as the boy, no, man she corrected herself, who was saving her for the second time in as many years, became wreathed in dark translucent flames and prepared to attack the massive spirit.

" **Absolute Blade Arts, Destructive Form: Bursting Water Blossom Spiral Blade Dance!"** Kamito leapt into the air the dual bladed weapon separating into two separate swords, the blades turning blue and shimmering as though they were made of water. Starting at a moderate pace, the speed and intensity of the strikes increased type the point that Kamito was nothing but a blur. The combination of the speed and power of the hits along with the added impact of high pressure water bursts caused the giant spirit to stumble and fall. Kamito kicked off the falling spirit, launching himself high into the air. Fianna watched as Kamito reached the zenith of his jump as the colossus landed on its back.

" **Absolute Blade Arts, Second Form: Meteor!"** Kamito vanished in a flash, intercepting the spirit on its rebound, separating its head from the rest of the body. As the colossus dispersed into spirit particles, Kamito could be seen breathing heavily down on one knee. Weary of potential unseen threats, Fianna rushed to check on Kamito with Georgios following respectfully behind.

Kamito had used a large amount of divine power defeating the militarized spirit, and was concentrating on returning to his previous form when Fianna reached him. His swords vanished and resumed human form, blocking Fianna's path. Fianna felt like fainting when she recognized Kamito's companion as being the Water Elemental Lord, Iseria Seaward.

"L-Lady Iseria!" Fianna squeaked as she dropped to a knee and bowed her head deeply.

"Hello Princess Fianna, you may rise. I trust you have been well." Iseria offered the young princess maiden a hand up. Kamito had finished composing himself and was now standing at Iseria's side smirking.

"We're really should stop meeting like this. This is the second time I've come to your rescue. I sure hope this is not how our relationship is always going to be like." Kamito said with a smile.

"R-re-re-relation…" Fianna turned bright red and promptly fainted.

"Hey! What was that for?" Kamito rubbed his arm where Iseria had just hit him..

"You knew that you were going to cause a misunderstanding wording it like that." Iseria grumbled.

"Yes, but it took her mind of the attack, didn't it?" Iseria just rolled her eyes. Kamito carefully lifted Fianna and laid her down on the bench seat of the carriage. A few minutes later she slowly came to.

"Ugh...what happened?" Fianna said rubbing her head, then suddenly it all came back to her and she blushed at Kamito's words again. It was then that she noticed she wasn't alone. Iseria was watching her with an amused expression. Shortly after she woke up, Kamito poked his head into the carriage.

Remembering something important, Fianna rushed out of the carriage to an empty area of the glen. Spreading her arms wide and tilting her head back, Fianna recited " **Thou, servant of the king of the child of man, knight and master swordsman! By the contract of the old blood, become the sword that protects me, come forth and do my bidding!"**

The seal on her chest glowed brightly and when she opened her eyes, Fianna was straight at her contracted spirit, Georgios. Her eyes filled with tears "It, it wasn't a dream. You're back! My Georgios, you're really back!" Fianna dropped to her knees crying joyful sobs. "Thank the Lords, you're back. I thought I would never see you again." suddenly remembering her present company, Fianna quickly dried her eyes and looked to see Kamito and Iseria watching her with understanding smiles.

Standing up, Fianna bowed deeply at the waist "Thank you. Thank you for helping me recover my connection to Georgios." Fianna said happily.

"No need to thank us." Kamito said looking away, a light blush tinting his cheeks.

"Kamito's right. It was your determination that allowed you to overcome your fears and regain your connection." Iseria smiled gently.

"Umm...Kamito, do you mind if I ask you something?" Fianna asked nervously.

Kamito hesitated a few moments before nodding. "Sure Fianna, what is it?"

"Well..um..I was wondering about your power. It has a different feel to it than the last time you saved me. It's darker, and much stronger. Georgios is telling me not to trust you, that you have an evil presence to you. But you saved me, twice, so you can't be evil, right?" Fianna asked warily.

Kamito sighed. He knew that this would eventually come up, but he was still worried about how she would take it. Being a queen candidate, of course she would see the darkness of his aura. "Fianna, I need you to promise not to reveal what I am about to tell you, please."

Fianna felt uneasy about his request, but she felt she owed it to him for saving her life once again. "Okay Kamito, I promise."

Kamito closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Fianna, I am the Demon King. My powers awakened shortly after I met you in that forest during the last blade dance. I almost lost myself," Kamito reached over and took Iseria's hand and exchanged a look with her. This was not lost on Fianna, who felt a pang of sadness seeing how close the two were. "But it was thanks to Iseria that I was able to regain control and stay myself."

"So that is why you broke your promise to meet me after the blade dance had finished." Fianna commented after a long pause to soak in what she had just been told.

"Yes, I'm sorry about that, but I had to recover after what had happened." Kamito answered

"What happened?" Fianna asked worried. After Kamito, posing as Ren Ashbell, had won the blade dance, he was taken before the Elemental Lords to have a wish granted. That had been the last time anyone had seen Ren Ashbell. Had something happened with the Lords?

"Kamito saved me." Iseria said quietly. "But it cost him much pain."

'Kamito saved the Water Elemental Lord? From what? Where was his darkness spirit?' Fianna's mind was spinning. "What do you mean he saved you?" Fianna asked.

"Fianna, have you noticed anything strange about the Elemental Lords? Any strange happenings or unexplainable occurrences?" Kamito asked.

Fianna thought hard. She thought it was slightly odd how the Lords did not seem to try and ease the people's problems, but instead seemed to be more the cause of them. They were apt to fits of rage and could only be calmed by young princess maidens performing dances and other rituals for them. But that was how they had always been, so is that truly out of sorts?

"The truth is that the Elemental Lords are being controlled." Kamito informed her much the Fianna's shock.

"What? How can this be? The Lords are all powerful!" Fianna exclaimed disbelievingly.

"It's true." Iseria confirmed. "We, the Elemental Lords, were taken off guard because we believed ourselves to be all powerful. This entity, this otherworldly darkness was able to overpower us one by one until only one of us was left. Unfortunately, my memories of that time are very scattered, so I am not sure what exactly happened." Iseria admitted sadly.

"After the last blade dance, I was able to free Iseria, but…" Kamito trailed off with a far away look in his eye.

"But Restia, his contract spirit, sacrificed herself to allow Kamito and myself to escape." Iseria finished for him, squeezing his hand lightly.

Steeling himself, Kamito continued. "I know that she is still alive." Kamito made a fist with his left hand. "I will find Restia, and then we will free the Elemental Lords from the darkness so there can truly be peace in the world."

Fianna was shocked to hear the Demon King talk about peace through freeing the Elemental Lords instead of through conquest, but somehow she knew that she could trust the young man, and him having an Elemental Lord by his side didn't hurt.

"What can I do to help." Fianna offered.

"The biggest assistance you can offer us is information about the Queens and the Divine Ritual Institute. Also any information that you can uncover about the next blade dance would be very helpful." Kamito stated. "And please keep anything you learned here today a secret. Nobody knows Iseria's true identity at the moment, she is going by the name Atlantae."

"Okay, Kamito, but how do I contact you?". Fianna asked.

Kamito handed her a clear spirit crystal. "Just channel some divine power into this crystal and I will contact you." The sound of horses could be heard charging up the road. "We must be going now. Take care hime." Iseria spread her arms and she and Kamito were enveloped in a blue bubble that faded from view just as a group of spirit knights rounded the bend.

Fianna gripped the crystal in her hand tightly for a moment before hiding it and exiting the destroyed carriage. The leader of the knights dismounted and approached Fianna.

"Princess Fianna, are you harmed?" The knight captain asked, looking the young woman over.

"I'm fine, Mina. I just want to go home." Fianna responded.

"Of course, Princess. What happened here?"

"I'm not sure." Fianna lied. "We were attacked and I blacked out. I just came to a few moments ago."

Mina nodded. "Princess, let's get you home."

 **Flashback end**

"Girls, I know you have many questions, but we should head back to the academy. I will try to answer your questions after we get back." Kamito suggested.

"Fine, but I expect answers." Claire stated firmly, receiving a nod of agreement from the other girls. Kamito sighed, this was going to be troublesome, he just knew it.

The ride back to the academy was quiet and tense. Arriving back on the campus, everyone went their separate ways after agreeing to meet at Kamito's room later after everyone has a chance to rest and refresh themselves.

About four hours later found everyone in Kamito's room, and he was rubbing his temples to ease the headache that started when the girls discovered the decor of his room. He would definitely need to get back at Greyworth for this.

Kamito had everyone sit down while Est and Iseria served refreshments. Once everyone was settled, with Iseria and Est sitting on either side of Kamito, he started explaining his past and his powers to the girls. He left out some facts, such as him being Ren Ashbell. After he finished, he allowed the girls some questions.

The girls asked for a few minutes to digest what they just learned. Kamito agreed and went to the kitchen to prepare a quick snack. He had just finished a small sandwich when he was alerted that the girls were ready for him. He was relieved to see that while the girls seemed a bit wary, they had accepted who he was.

Claire was the first to break the silence. "I'll keep your identity secret, but in exchange. I want you to be on my blade dance team."

Rinslet added. "Mine as well." The girls glared at each other for a few moments, but Kamito spoke up before any arguing could break out.

"I agree to allow you both to join _my_ team." Kamito emphasized my. "On the condition that you recognize I am the leader." Both girls quickly agreed.

Ellis looked slightly disappointed, but covered it up quickly. "Ellis, there is still one open spot on my team. It's yours if you want." Kamito offered.

Ellis gave Kamito a sad smile. "I'm already on a team with a few other knights. As much as I appreciate the offer, I could not in good conscience break my promise to my fellow knights." Kamito nodded in understanding. "But I do have a favor I would like to ask; please join the Sylphid Knights. Even having you as an auxiliary member would be helpful. We are a little short handed considering the upcoming festival. "

"As long as you don't believe my presence will cause to many problems, I can accept your offer." Kamito agreed.

As the group wound down and got ready to call it a day. A stern looking blonde entered the headmistress's office. "Headmistress, here is my report concerning my mission. I am ready for my next assignment." The blonde stood at attention, the armor of her uniform polished to a brilliant shine.

Greyworth didn't even bother to look at the report. "Good work, Velsaria. Your next assignment is…"

 **Once again, sorry about the tardiness of this chapter. Now Kamito has four members for his team. Next chapter is the Valentia Holy Festival, and the fun that comes with that.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Welcome to another installment of Tides of Change. I know this is a bit late, so it is also a little longer. I also tried to have a bit more action this chapter. I hope you enjoy the changes to the events.**

"Kamito, thank you for agreeing to join the knights, even if it is only temporary. We really are short handed, and someone of your power would be a valuable asset for the protection of the academy and all its students." Ellis thanked Kamito as they sat on a bench under the shade of a tree. A week had passed since the events at the mine and Claire and Rinslet joining Kamito's team.

Ellis had been explaining what his role would be during the festival the next day while patrolling the academy town when they decided to take a short break. Iseria and Est were spending the day browsing the local shops, careful to not stray too far from Kamito.

Kamito was actually fairly impressed at the extent the knights assisted the residents of the academy town. He could see the pride that Ellis felt as she helped even with menial tasks. She had explained that in order to keep the order in the town, it was best to know and be known by the locals. This built a level of trust that allowed the town to coexist with the academy.

Kamito looked to his right when he felt a tug on his sleeve. "Kamito, I'm hungry." Est stated, looking into his eyes.

Looking at the position of the sun, Kamito gauged it to be around lunch time. "Alright Est, let's go find a cafe. Are you coming with us, Atlantae?"

"Of course, Kamito. How about you miss Fahrengart? Would you care to join us?" Iseria offered.

"I wouldn't want to intrude." Ellis declined.

"Nonsense, please join us." Iseria insisted.

Ellis paused for a moment. "Very well, I know a local cafe that has excellent pastries." Ellis lead them to the shop. When they arrived, Kamito was pleasantly surprised at how affordable the items on the menu were. After placing their orders, the group found an empty table on the terrace.

"Kamito!" Claire called out when she spotted him. Rushing up to him she almost missed that Ellis was there. "Kamito, where have you been? I've been looking all over for you."

Kamito arched an eyebrow at her tone. "Ellis has been showing me around the town and introducing me to many of the shop owners."

"Tch. Why do you have to have her to show you around? She's not even on our team." Claire protested.

'Our team huh?' Kamito thought amused. "That may be true, but I am going to be helping her with the festival tomorrow, so it only makes sense to have the captain of the knights introduce someone that will be joining their ranks, however temporary as it may be." Kamito crossed his arms over his chest.

"Hmph! But you're my….." Claire's stopped herself from finishing that thought when she saw the look on Kamito's face. "My.. teammate."

"Claire, was there a reason that you were searching for me?" Kamito asked.

"Of course I have a reason, it's not like I was trying to get to spend time with you or anything." Claire huffed. "Greyworth sent notification to me about our next match. It's against the Silent Fortress, Velsaria Fahrengart, who is ranked number one in the academy. If we beat her, we'll pretty much be guaranteed a place in the blade dance!"

Kamito had a brief flashback to the image of an attractive blonde wearing a massive armor suit with considerable firepower. He had almost forgotten that she was a representative of the academy. She would definitely make a good addition to his team, but how to convince her?

"You're fighting big sister?" Ellis asked in a concerned voice.

"Your big sister?" Claire asked confused.

"Apparently." Kamito answered Ellis. "The Fahrengart family has a reputation of adopting strong fighters." Kamito said in answer to Claire. 'I should know, old man Fahrengart approached me no less that five times at the last blade dance offering me a place in the ranks of their family.' Kamito thought dryly.

" _Imagine their surprise if they were to discover that they had adopted a son instead of a daughter."_ Iseria giggled in his mind, making Kamito choke on his tea. The other girls looked at Kamito curiously. He just shook his head to tell them not to worry about it.

Ellis shrugged it off. "Kamito is correct. The Fahrengart's are a military family. In order to maintain our strength, we seek out talented individuals to ensure the strength of our family." Ellis expanded on what Kamito had said. "Kamito, please be careful. I know you are strong, but big sister...she has changed. She used to be kind and honorable, but since…" Ellis's eyes filled with tears. "Since the blade dance, she has become so cold and distant. She obsesses over power and getting stronger.". Ellis couldn't hold back the tears any longer. Iseria and Kamito exchanged a look and Iseria placed a hand on the bluenette's shoulder. Ellis looked into Iseria's eyes for a moment then buried her face in the spirit's shoulder and quietly cried for a few moments. She Loved her sister and wished she would return to her former self.

Claire, feeling more than just a little awkward, excused herself and left the cafe. After a few moments, Ellis was able to collect herself. "I'm -sniffle- pathetic. Look at me, crying while on duty. I'm not fit to be a knight." Tears threatened to fall once again.

"Ellis, you must love your sister very much." Iseria noted.

"Yes, she was my inspiration to become a knight and to enter the blade dance. That is why I have to win...so I can wish my sister back to her old self once again." Ellis stated.

"That is a very respectable wish." Kamito commented.

"I'm sure that one day your sister will realize she is on the wrong path, so stay strong so that you will be able to support her when she eventually needs you." Iseria assured Ellis.

Ellis stood and bowed to Kamito, Iseria, and Est, who had been eating on a large parfait the whole time. "Thank you for your kind words, I truly hope that they come true. I must be going now." Ellis wipe one last tear from her eyes. "Kamito, please come to the old sanctuary tomorrow morning at 0900 for the morning briefing and to meet the other knights. Until tomorrow." Ellis quickly walked away.

"So it seems that Velsaria took losing to Ren Ashbell worse than I thought." Kamito mused out loud.

"What are you going to do about her?" Iseria asked.

"I don't know yet." Kamito admitted. They sat in silence for another free minutes. "Well, what would you girls like to do for the rest of the day?"

Iseria smiled playfully. "How about we go take in a show?" Kamito raised an eyebrow. "They are putting on a play about Areishia Idriss defeating the Demon King."

Kamito looked at her for a moment before her shook his head and chuckled. "Sure, why not? What do you think, Est?"

"I will accompany you, Kamito." Est responded without emotion.

 **###################################**

Kamito awoke to an odd smell coming from the kitchen. Iseria was not in the bed with him and Est was nowhere to be seen either. While he did enjoy spending time with them, he wished that Est would wear something a little more appropriate. He knew she was almost as old as Iseria, but her body just made him uncomfortable to look at. Getting out of bed, he found a note from Iseria stating she needed to check up on something and would be back that evening, and hoped that he could make time to check out the festival with her when she returned. Kamito smiled at the thought of wandering the festival with her.

The strange smell was getting stronger, so Kamito decided to check out what was going on. He hoped Est was not trying to cook again, the kitchen still had evidence of the battle that ensued after her dish came to life and tried to attack Fianna.

"What are you trying to do? Poison him?" Kamito heard Claire ask. Getting closer to the kitchen, Kamito could distinguish multiple smells emanating from the room and two energy signatures. 'Claire and Fianna? What the heck are…..' Kamito face palmed. 'Shit! Today is Valentia Day!' Kamito sighed and opened the kitchen door.

"Kamito!" Both girls spun towards the door trying to hide what they were doing.

"Morning girls. What's going on?" Kamito feigned ignorance.

"Well, to-today is Valentia Day, and..umm.." Claire looked to Fianna for help.

"We were preparing our offerings for the spirits." Fianna smiled sweetly.

"Glad to hear that someone still remembers to honor the spirits rather than as a day to give chocolates to the boy they like." Kamito couldn't help but inwardly laugh at the scathing look that Claire shot Fianna or Fianna's own momentary look of panic.

"But Kamito, we need you to try our offerings to be sure they are worthy of the spirits." Fianna quickly reasoned, Claire nodding her agreement.

Kamito looked carefully at their offerings. Claire's was burnt to charcoal and Fianna's, while looking normal enough, had an aura about it that bothered Kamito. Thinking quickly, Kamito said. "I don't think I would be a good judge of what a spirit would enjoy." Kamito sensed Est approaching. "Why don't you ask Est to try it for you.

Just as he said that, Est walked in wearing her naked knee socks with a tube of chocolate in her hand. Written in chocolate across her bare chest was 'Eat Me' along with a line of chocolate leading down to her nether regions.

Walking up to her master, Est simply stated "Kamito, please lick the chocolate before it melts." Kamito covered his face with his hand and shook his head while Fianna blushed furiously.

Claire's face was a brighter shade of red than her hair, which was an impressive feat. "K-k-k-kamito?..." Kamito looked at the stuttering redhead. Suddenly the front door opened revealing Ellis. She had something hidden behind her back.

Seeing the state Est was in, Ellis immediately summoned Ray Hawk as Claire's called forth Flametongue. Kamito glared at Fianna. "I blame you, I hope you know that." She just offered him a cheeky smile and wave as the other two girls stalked toward him. "This is a misunderstanding. Please, you have to believe me." Sensing the rise in divine power from the two, Kamito thought quickly. True, he could withstand their attacks, but that didn't mean it wouldn't hurt like hell.

"Girls, hold on." Kamito raised his hands in a placating manner. " Attacking me in here could damage the Ashbell collectables." That made the girls hesitate just long enough for him to escape the room. Once out of the room, Kamito empowered his legs with divine power and vanished in a flash. The girls made it out of the room just in time to see him exit the building. Turning around, the saw Est with her head hanging sadly.

"Kamito did not like my offering. Is he upset with me?" Est asked in a melancholic voice.

Fianna retrieved a damp cloth to help clean up the spirit. "I don't think Kamito is upset with you, Est. It's just that this sort of thing is meant for when you are alone." Fianna explained.

"But you said that Kamito would like this sort of offering." Est looked at Fianna. Fianna suddenly felt two other sets of eyes on her. Chuckling nervously, Fianna tried to back up, only to find she was backed into a corner. "Umm..hehe...Happy Valentia Holy Day?" Fianna said, offering her chocolate to the annoyed girls. The kitchen was in shambles and Fianna was left unconscious in a burnt and tattered uniform after Ellis and Claire finished with her.

On her way out, something caught Claire's eye. It was a full size replica of Ren Ashbell's sword, the Vorpal Sword. Something about it seemed very familiar. She had a sudden vision of the sword that Jio person was holding after gaining control over that Darkness spirit. It wasn't exactly the same, but the similarities were striking. She knew that the Darkness spirit used to be Kamito's, so that couldn't have been there same sword. Ren was a girl, right? She then remembered that Fianna claimed to know Ren Ashbell. Looking back at the slightly crispy girl, Claire decided to ask her about it later.

Kamito decided to walk around the campus for a little while until things calmed down at the dorms. Figuring that it should be safe, Kamito returned to the dorms to pick up Est so they could go meet up with the knights. "Damn that Greyworth.". Kamito muttered as he walked. She had threatened to start billing him for the property damage any time he was involved in a misunderstanding. Why was he being held responsible? It was those girls, always overreacting.

Kamito found Est waiting for him in front of the dorm. Kamito could sense that she was feeling down about something. "Hey Est, what's the matter?"

"Kamito did not accept my offering of chocolate." Kamito could hear the tinge of sadness in her answer.

" Est, you just surprised me, that's all. You are irreplaceable to me. I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings. I really do like you, but sometimes you can be a bit too bold." Kamito tried to reassure his spirit.

"Kamito, kiss me." Est looked up at him expectantly.

"What? Where did this come from?" Kamito asked.

"You kissed Lady Iseria and Restia. I want a kiss too."

"Well, to be honest, they kissed me. But you're right, it isn't fair to you." Kamito placed a finger under her chin and gently tilted her face up. "Est, never forget that you are precious to me and I promise you will never have to be alone again." Kamito placed a gentle kiss on her lips that only lasted a few moments, but that was enough to reassure Est of her place in Kamito's heart. Even though her face was still neutral, Kamito could see a spark of happiness in Est's eyes and a light blush on her cheeks.

Kamito and Est arrived at the old sanctuary that now served as the headquarters for the Sylphid Knights about twenty minutes early. Not sure if he was at the right location, he tentatively knocked and was relieved when Ellis opened the door.

Going inside, Ellis introduced Kamito to the others. "Ladies, this, as you may know, is Kazehaya Kamito. He will be joining us for today to assist with the security of the festival."

The room was suddenly in an uproar. It seemed everyone was wanting to be partnered with the male elementalist. Kamito thought a riot would break out when Ellis informed everyone that _she_ would be partnering with Kamito. Suddenly the doors flew open, slamming into the walls. In the doorway stood a tall blonde of stunning beauty. The morning sun was dazzling as it reflected off her highly polished armor. She exuded a commanding presence as she strode into the room. Kamito was thoroughly unimpressed by the display.

"Pathetic. The Sylphid Knights have fallen to shame. All these pawns and you could not even apprehend one intruder?" Velsaria sneered looking over the assembled knights.

"What do you mean pawns? How can you insult your fellow knights like that?" Ellis questioned her older sister.

"Simple, these girls are too weak to be anything other than just fodder for the battlefield. And yet it took the actions of a civilian, a male at that, to dispose of the intruder. Tell me, Ellis, Why do you even still call yourself a knight? You are supposed to be a Fahrengart, but you are just a weak pathetic girl playing pretend." Ellis hung her head and looked away ashamed.

"That's enough! I don't give a damned who you think you are, but I have seen Ellis working to protect the community and her fellow students. What right do you have to question her validity as a knight? You, whose whole world turned upside down when you lost in the last blade dance without even landing one hit on your opponent." Kamito said standing in between the two sisters.

"Ah, the male transfer student. I was hoping to meet you so I can expose you are nothing more than a charlatan. When I was Captain of the Guard, I would have had you thrown in stockades just for stepping foot on these sacred grounds." Velsaria stated.

"Ah, so the fact that I was summoned here by the Headmistress herself would have been of little importance to you. Some loyal knight you are." Kamito smirked.

Velsaria raised her right hand in front of her. "So, mr elementalist, let's see just what you're made of." Kamito sensed the build up of divine power in her hand and immediately brought his hand up and released enough divine power to cancel out her attack. While there was no physical damage done, several of the girls passed out from the amount of released power. "Tch!" Turning to a group of third year students, Velsaria called out to them. "You four, come with me, you are now on my team." She turned to leave when Kamito cleared his throat.

"Velsaria Fahrengart, I challenge you to a duel. I'll even allow you to choose the place and the rules." Kamito glared at the elder Fahrengart.

Velsaria smirked viciously. "I accept. I will expose you for who you really are and make you regret ever coming here. My team against yours." With a flourish of her cape, Velsaria strode out of the building, followed by the girls she had chosen.

"Big sister, I am a Fahrengart Knight, and I'll prove it to you." Ellis said quietly to herself, clenching her fist in determination.

Kamito and Est were walking with Ellis through the academy town when Kamito spotted Claire looking in the window on a jewelry store with a sad look on her face. Walking up behind her, he saw that she was looking at a cat pendant on a silver chain. 'She really likes cats a lot.' Kamito chuckled inwardly.

"Hey Claire, what's up?"

"Kyah!" Claire screamed as she skin around. She has been so lost in her thoughts she hadn't even noticed anyone was behind her. When she saw it was Kamito, she turned her head away and crossed her arms over her chest. "What do you want?" She huffed.

"I was checking to see if everything was alright. You seemed a bit out of it." Kamito said, annoyance in his voice.

"What do you care?" Claire countered.

"You are a member of my team, and as such, if your performance suffers, the whole team suffers." Kamito told her.

"You don't have to worry about _my_ performance. Just worry about making sure we have enough members to compete." Claire turned and was able to walk away when a couple of upperclassmen blocked her path.

Kamito recognized them as the Adamantine and Demon Mirror team from the contest for the militarized spirit, Glasya Labolas.

"Oh look, it's the Calamity Queen's sister and the male elementalist. What's the matter? Lover's quarrel?" The Adamantine user said venomously.

"What did you just say?" Claire growled.

"Claire, they are just trying to bait you into fighting." Kamito whispered to her.

"Don't worry, I know. I'm not going to fall for their ploy."

"I don't even see why they allow either of you here." The Mirror contractor spat. "Do you have any idea what the people had to endure because of your sister, the traitor!"

"My my, what distasteful behavior. We are all members of nobility here, but you two are acting like backwoods nobles. If you have an issue with another , settle it in a duel." Rinslet said walking calmly down the block.

"What was the? We'll show you who the backwoods noble is!" Both girls raised their hands to summon their spirits.

"Too slow!" Rinslet called out , already having summoned her waffe.

"I think it would be in your best interests to go home." The girls heard behind them, Kamito had gotten behind them and had a sword next to each of their necks.

Shaking, the girls ran off screaming "This isn't over yet!"

"I truly detest those who are nobility in title only." Rinslet said with a frown. Kamito released his swords, which dissipated back into spirit particles before they hit the ground.

Ellis came around the corner of the shop at that moment. "Kamito, there you are. I've been looking for you. Why did you suddenly disappear like that?"

"Sorry about that. I saw Claire and wanted to make sure she's was alright. Which reminds me….." Kamito turned in time to see Claire walking away still looking a bit down. He was about to go after her when a hand on his arm stopped him.

He looked at Rinslet who just shook her head. "Just let her be. This is always a difficult day for her, it's her birthday today, but she has had nothing to celebrate since the incident with her sister at the shrine. It was only due to Greyworth's influence that spared her from being sent to prison with the rest of her family." Rinslet informed them sadly.

"I see." Kamito frowned.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

"Damn, we could have gotten rid of that traitorous bitch's sister if those two had not interfered." The Adamantine user fumed.

"How in the hell did that bastard elementalist get behind us so fast? I never even saw him move." The Mirror user added angrily.

"It sounds as if you girls are in need of my help. How would you two like to possess the power to crush your enemies?" A cool voice asked from the shadows. A woman with jade green hair and red eyes stepped from the shadows.

Both girls were instant on their guard. "Who are you?" The Adamantine user asked sharply.

The Elfim woman raised her hands placatingly. "I am merely a researcher, as you can see, I'm unarmed."

The girls relaxed slightly. "What did you mean when you said you could give us more power?" The Mirror user asked cautiously.

"Oh that? I have found a way to unlock the full potential of a spirit, but I'm still testing it, so I guess you two wouldn't be interested." Vivian said offhandedly.

"Wait. What do you need from us?" Vivian smile darkly when she heard this.

Claire was standing in the plaza looking at the fountain, list on her thoughts. She wondered how her parents were doing, and where her sister was. She hoped that Rubia was doing well wherever she was. She wished everything would go back to how it used to be. "Why nee-san?"

"Claire, there you are." Rinslet said approaching the redhead.

"What do you want, Rinslet?". Claire asked. She didn't want to be around anyone today.

"Here." Rinslet put a small box into Claire's hand.

"What's this?" Claire asked confused.

"What did it look like? It's a birthday present. It was Kamito's idea." Rinslet said.

"It's from Kamito?" Claire asked clearly surprised.

"He told me to tell you not to look too deeply at it, it's just a token of friendship, something to tell you that you do have friends." Rinslet relayed.

Claire was about to respond, but was cut off when someone shouted at her.

"There you are, Claire Rouge!" A familiar voice called out.

"We're finally going to get revenge for what your sister did!" A second voice added. Claire and Rinslet turned to see the same two girls from earlier.

The two girls both raised a hand to summon their spirits, but started screaming in pain as their bodies were enshrouded in dark energy. Two large spirits materialized in front of them. One resembled a large metallic deer and there other took the form of a large silver boar. Suddenly the two screaming girls collapsed, but the spirits remained, and it was obvious from their erratic behavior that they were frenzied.

The sudden appearance of the large spirits sent the crowds in the plaza into a panic. Reisha and Rakka rushed over to Claire and Rinslet. "What happened? Did someone offend the spirits?" Reisha asked.

"No, those two summoned them." Claire said indicating the two unconscious elementalists.

"We need to rescue them before they get trampled." Rinslet said. "They are still students of the academy, even if they tried to attack us."

All four girls summoned their elemental waffes and took up defensive stances.

"Just because we are fighting together doesn't mean we like you." Claire stated brandishing her flametongue.

"The feeling is mutual." Rakka replied hefting her giant hammer.

"Rinslet, stay back and support us with covering volleys. Rakka, go after the boar, I'll occupy the deer. Reisha, you get those girls to safety. Let's go!" Claire's called out directions. The two knights were not happy taking orders from Claire, but her strategy was sound, so they didn't argue.

Reisha and Rakka nodded to each other then sprinted towards the boar like spirit that was stomping near the unconscious upperclassmen. Claire lashed out with her whip and struck the deer like spirit across its flank, but this only angered the spirit.

'Damn, this is bad!' Claire screamed in her head as she dodged to the side as there deer charged her. Rinslet waited until it was well past Claire before launching a storm of arrows at the deer, halting it before it could crash into a nearby building. While the attack did stop the deer's charge, the arrows just bounced off the deer's crystalline hide. As it turned and eyed Claire and Rinslet angrily, Rinslet dispelled her bow allowing Fenrir to assume his spirit form.

Ellis and Kamito were patrolling a quiet part of town far from the plaza when they detected there disturbance. While Kamito was able to sense the frenzied spirits faintly, Ellis relied on small wind spirits to gather her information.

"The plaza!" They both shouted at the same time. Empowering his legs with divine power, kamito easily leapt to the nearest rooftop and took off for the plaza while Ellis took to the air on a column of wind using her flight magic.

A pair of hard blue eyes watched the confrontation from a bluff that overlooked the academy town. The frown etched on her face deepened to a scowl when she felt someone approach her from behind.

"What a shame, it would appear that those girls just weren't worthy of the gift I bestowed on them." Came a mocking voice. Velsaria didn't even turn to look at the owner of said voice.

"What do you want, Elfim?" Velsaria growled.

"My my, what hostility. You are so uptight, you really should learn how to unwind and relax. What would everyone think if they were to learn of your little secret?" Velsaria felt a lithe hand press against her breastplate just over her heart. Velsaria drew her sword and turned in the blink of an eye, her slash encountering no resistance as it passed through the fading image of Vivian Melosa.

"Temper temper." Vivian's voice could be heard from the shadows. "I wonder if your little sister would be more receptive of my gift?"

"You leave her alone!" Velsaria screamed, her body glowing as she summoned her spirit. " **Dreadnaught!"**

Ellis landed on the rooftop next to Kamito as they came to a stop when a large explosion rocked the bluff overlooking the town. "What was that?" Ellis asked nervously.

'That was Velsaria's power. She can handle herself, we need to get to the plaza.' Kamito knew Velsaria was more than capable as a fighter. "We can worry about that later, we need to take care of the disturbance inside the town first."

Ellis looked like she wanted to argue for a moment before she nodded. "You're right, let's go!" Ellis was airborne again. Kamito stole one last glance at the bluff before following.

Rakka and Reisha were having a tough time with boar spirit. On their first charge, Rakka slammed her hammer down on the boar's head, only to be blasted back when her attack was reflected by the boar's mirror hide. This gave Reisha enough time to grab one of the unconscious girls and get her took the relative safety of the edge of the plaza.

Since her arrows had no effect of the deer spirit, Rinslet had summoned Fafnir, who was currently holding the deer by the back leg while Claire had wrapped flametongue around an antler, trying their best to hold the spirit until reinforcements could arrive. Rinslet had rushed over to the crowd of fleeing townsfolk to help with the evacuations.

Hearing a familiar scream, Rinslet turned in time to see the deer spirit swing its head violently, flinging Claire like a rag doll. Claire flew through the air as her whip slipped off the antler. Rinslet moved without thinking, catching Claire and softening her landing. Unfortunately Rinslet's foot caught on a broken tile and, with a sickening crack, both girls fell in a heap on the ground. Shooting pain in her leg told Rinslet that something was seriously wrong.

"Rinslet! Are you okay?" Claire asked worriedly.

Through clenched teeth and tear filled eyes, Rinslet shook her head. "It's my leg, it's broken!"

"Idiot! Why did you do that?" Claire asked while checking her leg.

"I couldn't allow you to be injured so carelessly." Rinslet said.

Claire was almost bowled over when Rakka went flying by after trying to block a charge from the boar spirit. There was a loud yelp as Fenrir was kicked away from the deer and eyed the downed Sylphid maliciously. Claire watched on helplessly, knowing she was too far to be of help. Claire looked back the other way just in time to see Reisha get slung into a wall by the boar spirit.

Suddenly, the boar was knocked away following a loud crash that sounded like a gunshot. Standing in between the boar and Reisha was Kamito.

Behind her she heard Ellis call out. " **Go forth and rampage: Evil Winds!"** A barrage of wind blades hammered into the deer knocking it off balance.

Claire looked back and could see that Kamito would be able to hold off his spirit for the time being, so she went to assist Ellis with the deer spirit. Then they could finish off the boar afterward. "Ellis! Hit it with a large blast, if I add my fire, we should be able to overwhelm it!"

"Right!" Ellis acknowledged. " **O wind, blow wildly!"** The deer was instantly trapped within a massive tornado.

Claire closed her eyes and focused on her strongest flame attack. " **Dance, oh crimson flame that calls upon destruction: Hellblaze!"** The resulting explosion blasted the deer across the plaza. It was missing all of one antler and part of the other and cracks and fissures covered its body.

The boar had regained its feet and had charged at its new adversary, Kamito. The boar stopped cold when Est impacted with its tusk. In a contest of wills, Kamito and the boar seemed to be in a stalemate, that is until Est's blade started to cut through the tusk. Kamito used his strength to force the boar away from Reisha as Est cleaved the boar's tusk off. A sudden surge of divine power was all the warning that they received before a bombardment of projectiles would have leveled much of the town surrounding the plaza. " **Bakudo 81: Danku!"** The bombardment was blocked before too much collateral damage could be wrought.

"Velsaria." Kamito growled. Sure enough, floating above the center of the plaza was the academy's strongest blade dance, the Silent Fortress, Velsaria Eva Fahrengart. She stared back at the male elementalist with narrowed eyes. The boar took advantage of his apparent distraction and charged him from behind. Before any of the girls could scream in worry, Kamito calmly thrust Est through the boar's skull between the eyes, all the while never taking his eyes off the elder Fahrengart.

"That attack could have caused considerable collateral damage, what possible reasoning could you have for using an attack of that magnitude?" Kamito called to Velsaria.

"I was merely dispatching those rogue spirits. Anyone caught up in that would just be unlucky." Velsaria responded coldly.

"Does the welfare of the people you have sworn to protect mean nothing to you?". Kamito asked angrily.

"This world favors the strong, if they are too weak to fend for themselves, then they are nothing more than fodder." Velsaria sneered.

"You are not worthy to call yourself a knight. You have lost the honor that you used to have, I am disappointed." Kamito spat before turning his back to the fuming blonde.

Blinded by anger, Velsaria charged a cannon and fired at Kamito's back.

Kamito turned and held out his left hand. " **Bakudo 8: Seki!"** A small blue shield appeared next to his hand and blocked the blast and reflected it back at Velsaria. She barely avoided the reflected shot and glared menacingly at Kamito.

"To attack someone's back, you truly have fallen far, Silent Fortress. The you of three years ago would never have stooped to such tactics. I will open your eyes to the true path of a knight, even if I have to use force to do it." Kamito stated resolutely.

"Big words for a small man. I will show you that strength is the only truth in this world."

"Let's make things interesting; if I win, you admit your mistakes and join my blade dance team." Kamito smirked.

"Very well, but when I win, you must admit that you are a fraud and leave the academy forever." Velsaria challenged.

"You sound rather confident, Velsaria." Kamito responded. "I accept, we will settle this in Astral Zero." Velsaria's elemental armor glowed brightly before fading away. She appeared to float gracefully to the ground in a glowing sphere of energy.

A silence fell over the plaza, the only sound was the wings rustling Velsaria's white cape as Kamito and Velsaria stared each other down, both sizing up the other. Suddenly the silence was broken as the Adamantine deer regained its feet. In a flash, both Kamito and Velsaria appeared on the opposite side of the spirit, swords held in a post strike position.

Velsaria smirked as the deer's head fell off from a clean strike, but quickly turned into a scowl when the rest of the body crumbled to pieces from multiple strong blows. Turning on her heel, Velsaria walked indignantly towards the Astral gate to await their duel.

Kamito turned to follow, but was stopped by Ellis and Claire, who was supporting Rinslet and her broken leg. "Kamito…". Ellis started.

"Don't worry, I'll bring your sister back to you." Kamito interrupted her.

"But…" She tried again.

"I'll be fine.". He assured her. She looked like she was going to try and say something else, but just nodded her thanks.

"I'm sorry Kamito, but it appears I won't be able to be on your team after all." Rinslet said sadly.

"I understand. You did good, Rinslet. Go rest and recover. Claire, get Fianna to see what she can do." Kamito instructed.

"Right. Can you defeat her?" Claire asked concerned. She knew that he was the Demon King, but but also knew that he had most of his powers sealed to keep his true identity concealed. She had no doubt that unsealed he could wipe the floor with her, but would he be able to do it sealed as he was?

Kamito allowed himself to smirk confidently. "I think I'll manage."

"You better win, I'm depending on you to get me to the blade dance." Claire retorted as she led Rinslet to the hospital.

"Lady Rinslet!". Carol cried out as she broke through the crowd that had gathered around the plaza. She rushed to her master's side and took some of the strain of Claire. Ellis was directing the knights that were arriving to crowd control and assisting the wounded.

Kamito left the plaza to head to the Astral gate. He resisted the urge to groan and roll his eyes when he saw Greyworth standing near the gate.

"So brat, care to tell me where you think you are going?" The headmistress inquired.

"I have some business to take care of." He answered vaguely.

"This 'business' you speak of wouldn't involve a certain former captain of the knights, now would it?" Greyworth asked feigning ignorance.

"What do you want, old woman?"

"A little respect would be nice." Greyworth answered quickly. "It would be such a shame if this gate suddenly stopped working while people were on the other side."

"That would be little more than an inconvenience, what with my alternative modes of transportation. I think my companion would be more than a little put out of that were to happen though." Kamito shrugged.

"You're no fun." Greyworth pouted before turning serious. "Velsaria is in possession of a very powerful cursed seal, one that is killing her. I'm about to go have a _nice_ little chat with a former apprentice of mine."

At a small camp deep in the spirit forest a certain Elfim felt a chill of dread creep up her spine. "I think it's time to go. Looks like I overstayed my welcome." Vivian Melosa said as she started to quickly break down her camp.

Kamito stepped into the sacred circle that marked the gate to Astral Zero and was teleported to the spirit realm. Closing his eyes, he quickly found Velsaria's location. Est regained her human form and looked up at Kamito.

"Kamito, what will you do?" Est asked in her normal monotone.

"We need to free her from the cursed seal. How are you holding up?" Kamito asked, concerned for more than one reason.

"I am fine Kamito. I am your sword, my place is fighting alongside you." Est intoned.

"Thank you Est, now let's get going, wouldn't want to keep her waiting, now would we?" Kamito smirked lightly.

Velsaria was irritated, and growing more so the longer she waited. 'Who the hell does he think he is? He should have to wait on me, not the other way around!'

Kamito emerged from the treeline into a large clearing where he spotted Velsaria standing and glaring daggers at him. Shrugging, Kamito walked casually with his hands in his pockets and Est to his right side. By the time Kamito was standing in front of Velsaria, she was positively fuming. Kamito inwardly smirked at her disposition.

Not wasting and time, Velsaria called forth her waffe, Dreadnought. Rising into the air in a golden sphere of energy, Velsaria was soon encased in her flying armor. Strange black markings spread across the armor. "Call forth you waffe!" Velsaria demanded. Kamito just ignored her and turned his back to her. "You coward! Fight me!" Still Kamito showed no inclination to fight. "AAAHHH! Fine, if you won't fight, then I will just crush you!" Velsaria launched a barrage from her many cannons. When the smoke cleared, kamito was nowhere to be seen. "Haha, I did it! Hahaha! I got him!" Velsaria started laughing madly as the dark markings spread out covering the entirety of her armor.

"Got who?" A voice asked behind her.

"Gyah! B-but how?" Velsaria turned her head to see Kamito sitting calmly on her shoulder holding Est in her sword form.

Kamito leapt from his perch and took up a stance that he had not used in three years. " _Est, you can take the form of any sword, right?"_ Kamito asked through their mental link.

" _Yes, that is correct."_ Est responded.

Kamito grinned deviously. " _Good, here is what I would like you to do."_ Kamito shifted Est to his left hand as she seemed to flicker between her normal form and the appearance of Restia's waffe, the Vorpal Sword.

"That stance….those eyes...no, it can't be!" Velsaria's eyes glowed red and a black fog like miazma spread out from her body resembling dark tentacles as the curse seal activated. Throwing her head back, the now possessed Velsaria screamed. " **Aaahhh! Ren Ashbell!"**

Kamito's eyes narrowed when he saw the seal activate. 'Of course she just had to get it on her heart.' Kamito resisted the urge to groan. " _Est, we need to end this quickly, but also carefully."_

" _Yes Kamito, I understand.'_. Est replied.

A barrage of blasts came from Velsaria's cannons, following Kamito as he nimbly avoided the multitude of wild shots. 'Look at me, Ren Ashbell! Notice me, notice how much stronger I've become! I want you to recognize me!' Thought Velsaria maniacally.

Kamito thought he finally had her attack pattern figured out. Kamito ran for an outcropping of roas. Even in her crazed state of mind, Velsaria knew what he was about to do. It was the same move as three years ago. Anticipating his trajectory, she elevated all her cannons to a point in the air where he should hit the apex of his jump. To her shock, Kamito did not leap high into the air as she expected, but instead launched himself straight at her, well below her guns.

Est's blade shone brightly as it slipped easily through Dreadnought's thick armor. Kamito's face ended up just inches from Velsaria's. She looked into his dark eyes, but didn't see anger, or condemnation, or even pity. All she could see reflected in his eyes was concern. Why would he be concerned about her? Pain suddenly shot through her body as the darkness in the cursed seal resisted the light from Kamito's waffe.

Kamito also felt a stinging sensation in his right hand, from Est's seal. Closing his eyes, he could see Est in her human form attempting to absorb a mass of darkness. He could tell she was struggling, so he approached her and placed his hands on her bare shoulders. Her hair looked as though it had turned to crystal and there were splotches of crystal forming on her skin.

"Est! What's happening?". Kamito asked deeply concerned.

"I'm sorry Kamito, I wasn't strong enough. I'm at my absorption limit." Est said, a tear running down her cheek.

"But why is this happening?" He asked insistently.

"My ability is not to destroy curses, but to transfer them; either to myself or to my contractor. That is how my previous master died, I did not know that I was slowing killing her with every battle, but she knew. She knew but she never held it against me. I can't allow that to happen again, not to you." Est was close to breaking down.

"Est, remember who I am. I am the Demon King, my very existence is a curse. Your previous master was the Sacred Queen, a holy being. Please Est, trust in me and allow me to share in your burden.". Kamito stated turning Est to face him. He lifted her chin and looked into her large eyes and placed his lips to hers and kissed her passionately. He allowed his divine power to flow into her and could feel a burning sensation within himself as she passed the darkness of the curses she had absorbed pass onto him. They both started flowing brightly and suddenly the darkness from Velsaria's cursed seal vanished.

Back in the spirit world of Astral Zero, anyone watching would have been temporarily blinded by the flash of divine power given of by Est as she removed the cursed seal. When the light dimmed, both Velsaria and Kamito were laying on the ground seemingly unconscious. Kamito was the first to stir, rubbing his head and groaning from the mother of all headaches. He could still feel a burning sensation within himself, but it was slowly fading. Est was in her base sword form that she normally used for resting.

" _Est, are you alright?"_ Kamito asked concerned. She did not respond, but he could feel through their connection that she was just exhausted. Her presence actually felt stronger than it had before, more pure.

Velsaria slowly sat up from her position on the ground. She jerked upright when she remembered what happened. Focusing inward, she could no longer feel the cursed seal on her heart. "Why?"

"Because you have someone important that is worried about you. She really wants her sister back." Kamito said standing up. He offered her a hand up.

"I cannot go back. I have committed too many wrongs, now I must atone for my actions." Velsaria said wistfully. "Please take care of my sister for me."

"So, you are just going to run away? That doesn't sound like the Velsaria that I met three years ago." Kamito stated.

"But you acted like I was beneath your notice back then. The way you finished me off so easily." Velsaria said looking away.

"It was because I acknowledged your strength back then that I did not hold back. I recognized that you had a strong sense of honor and strength of character. Unfortunately I had more pressing matters on my mind to tend to." Kamito admitted.

"All this time…...So, what is going to happen to me now?" She asked.

"We'll go talk with the Headmistress, and as long as you are willing to join my team, I am sure we can work through this." Kamito explained.

Velsaria chuckled lightly. "Well, that was the agreement, wasn't it? Fine, I pledge my sword to your cause."

"You also owe your sister an apology if I'm not mistaken." Kamito added.

"True, I have said some regrettable things. I can only hope that she will forgive me." Velsaria looked up at the Astral Zero sky.

"She loves you too much not to." Kamito smirked.

"I guess you're right." Velsaria accepted his outstretched hand and stood up.

"Let get back. We'll meet tomorrow morning at Greyworth's office to make this official." With that they returned to the physical world and went their separate ways.

Kamito saw Iseria had returned when he arrived back at the dorms. She was waiting for him at the dining room table sipping on a cup of tea when he walked through the door. "Welcome back, Kamito."

"I'm back." Kamito smiled. "So, were you able to take care of your duties?"

"Yes, I had to make a few brief appearances for appearance sake, but I was also able to learn a few things of interest. The otherworldly Darkness seems to gathering forces in several locations." Iseria informed him.

"We can inform Greyworth in the morning, for now, let's get some sleep." Kamito said stretching and stifling a yawn. They entered the bedroom where Kamito gently placed Est on the soft settee at the end of the bed. Looking up, he saw Iseria unzipping her dress.

Giving Kamito a sultry smile, Iseria allowed her dress to drop to the floor. "Kamito, I still haven't given you your Valentia chocolate."

 **You should know how much I enjoy cliffhangers by now. The reason I had Kamito act like he did during his fight with Velsaria was he was using a tactic used by Mushashi Miyamoto in a duel against** **Seijūrō Yoshioka. He wanted her off balance and to overreact so the cursed seal would be more likely to activate so he could see where it was located.** **Next chapter is going to be quite steamy. I will have my first ever published lemon next chapter. See y'all next time.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Well, I finally have the chapter ready. Between doubling my hours at work and other commitments, my time for writing has diminished somewhat. I'll keep trying to get chapters out faster, but life happens. I do promise though that this story will not be abandoned, it is too much fun to write and is too popular for me to do that to you. Thank you for your patience and enjoy the chapter. There is a lemon scene in this chapter. It has a marked start and ending if you wish to skip it.**

Velsaria took her time returning to her dorm. She had much to think about. Ren Ashbell had actually acknowledged her, she finally felt at peace about the previous blade dance. But to find out that Ren was really a male, she was still having a bit of trouble wrapping her head around that one. 'He is kind of cute.' Velsaria thought idly before she quickly shook her head. She was a Fahrengart knight still in her youth, she couldn't think about boys yet, even if he did prove he would be worthy of joining the ranks of the Fahrengart family.

Velsaria sighed heavily as she opened the door to her dorm. She had not spent much time in this room in quite some time. Her responsibilities kept her away more often than not. The smell of food cooking alerted her that her roommate had returned already. Swallowing a sudden lump in her throat, Velsaria knew what she needed to do, not that it made any easier.

Walking into the kitchen, she saw a familiar head of blue hair still done up in a pony tail, although the normally immaculate school uniform had been swapped for a loose T-shirt and comfortable shorts.

Ellis turned when she felt a presence behind her. "B-big sister?" She asked with equal parts fear and hope.

Velsaria allowed a small smile as she nodded, but was almost bowled over by Ellis before she could open her mouth to say anything.

With tears in her eyes, Ellis started talking. "Thank goodness, I've been so worried about you. Thank you Kamito, you brought my sister back to me just as you promised."

"Ellis, I need to apologise to you." Velsaria started only to be interrupted by her sister.

"That doesn't matter, it's in the past. I forgive you. You're my sister, I love you, and nothing will change that." Ellis told her.

"No, Ellis, this is something I must say. My actions were inappropriate. I still believe you are too soft hearted and somewhat naive to be the captain and lead the Sylphid Knights, but I should not have undermined your authority the way I did. Much of that is from your inexperience in the world, but that will change as you get older." Velsaria informed her sister.

Ellis was surprised to hear her sister apologise for her actions, and she was a little disheartened to hear that her sister doubted her ability to lead, but she steeled her resolve. "I promise, big sister, I'll show you that I do have what it takes to be a good leader. I'll make you proud."

 **::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

 **Lemon Start**

Kamito could feel his mouth go dry as he watched Iseria slowly walk towards the bed where he was sitting after she locked the bedroom door. She smiled seductively as she allowed her dress to slip from her shoulders as she walked. The dress fell in a pool at her feet when she reached the side of the bed leaving her clad only in a dark brown lacy bra and panty set. "I still haven't given you your Valentia chocolate yet." Iseria said pulling out what looked like a tube of lipstick.

Kamito could only stare at the sight before him. Yes, he had seen her naked, and she even sleeps naked next to him most nights, but something this time just felt different. He watched as she twisted the tube revealing the soft chocolate within. Slowly and deliberately, she applied some to her lips.

"I-Iseria…." Kamito started but was cut off when Iseria pressed her lips to his. The taste of the chocolate complemented the natural sweetness of Iseria's lips. Kamito only hesitated a moment before returning her kiss in earnest. Slowly his arms wrapped around his contracted spirit's body and he carefully placed his hands on her back. Iseria's hands gripped his shirt tightly as she tried to deepen their kiss, causing them to fall back onto their bed. Kamito's conscious mind tried to keep his hands from roaming, wanting to keep at least somewhat control of the situation, but it was a battle that he was quickly losing. Soon Kamito's hands started to slowly roam across her back, her skin so soft and smooth under his fingertips. They slid down the the small of her back where they stopped, afraid to go to far, afraid to ruin this wonderful moment. Soon they traced up her sides, briefly brushing the base of her breasts.

Iseria moaned lightly into Kamito's mouth when his hands had reached her lower back. She wanted so badly to tell him to continue, that this is what she wanted, what she had dreamed of for so long. Her hands were still gripping Kamito's shirt tightly. She gasped when his thumbs lightly brushed the edges of her breasts, his touch like an electric shock. Kamito took advantage of her slightly opened mouth to let his tongue enter. Iseria responded by moaning low and brushing her tongue against his. Now it was Kamito's turn to moan as Iseria's hands moved lower and slid under his shirt. Her fingers began to trace the outlines of his muscles, delighting in the feeling as they twitched beneath his skin.

Kamito's hands trailed back down her back again and her tentatively allowed his hand to brush against Iseria's perfectly shaped rear. Iseria moaned even louder and ground herself against Kamito's hardness through his pants. Iseria sat up and relieved Kamito of his shirt. Looking down at him, she took in his well defined muscles and smiled lustfully at him. Reaching behind her back, she undid the clasp of her bra and allowed it to slowly slide down her arms and to the floor.

Kamito swallowed hard. Before him was a goddess, both literally and figuratively. Her breasts were firm and perfectly shaped, her pink nipples poked out like a pair of erasers. His eyes slowly traveled down to her flat stomach till they stopped where she was straddling his waist. The way her curves transitioned from her belly to her hips mesmerised him. Her sex was clearly outlined by her tight panties. His he forced his gaze back up to meet her's, her eyes silently asking if he approved of how she looked.

"Iseria, I-I think we should stop. I love you, and I don't want to do anything that would jeopardise our connection." Kamito said quietly, his right hand absentmindedly covering her contract seal over his heart.

"Kamito, you don't have to worry about that. You are the reincarnation of an Elemental Lord. Your ability stems from that, not from a gift born of purity. I love you too, and no force in this world will ever tear me away from you. Please, I want this." Iseria said. Kamito could see a tinge of fear in her eyes, a fear of rejection.

"I-I want this too, but I'm not sure what to do. I don't want to hurt you." Kamito reached up and cupped Iseria's cheek. She closed her eyes and rubbed her cheek into his hand.

"We can learn together." She said softly. Taking Kamito's hand in hers, Iseria slowly placed it on her breast. Kamito marveled at the feeling. It was soft, and yet at the same time it had a firmness to it. He could feel her nipple pressing into the palm of his hand, its hardness surprising him. His other hand was placed on her hip so as to keep her steady on his lap. Slowly he began to gently squeeze her breast, experimenting with its feel. Iseria's eyes were closed and her mouth was slightly open, her breaths coming as small pants as she enjoyed the feeling of his hand touching her. He carefully took her nipple between his thumb and forefinger and gently squeezed it, eliciting a moan from the Elemental Lord. The hand Kamito had on her hip slowly traveled up her side and ran across her flat belly. Her hips were slowly grinding back and forth as she relished in the incredible sensations she was experiencing. Kamito's hands exchanged positions, the hand that massaging her breast slid down her side to her hip and the other hand swept up to tease the skin of her cleavage before cupping the neglected breast.

Iseria leaned forward to press her breast into Kamito's hand when he took the opportunity to take the other breast into his mouth. Iseria's eyes popped open at the new sensation as the tension that had been building in her suddenly released and she experienced her first orgasm. One hand grabbed Kamito's hand that was squeezing her breast, her other hand cupped the back of his head, pulling him closer, strengthening the feeling of him sucking on her firm nub. Gazing down at she contractor and her love, Iseria got off his lap and her small hands started to remove his pants. Kamito lifted up to assist her and sat up so he could remove his socks. Both Kamito and Iseria stood up so they could take off their underwear, and with that, they were completely naked. They both took a few moments to look at the other. Iseria's eyes were drawn to Kamito's hard member. She had caught glances of it a few times when they would first wake up in the morning, and on a couple of occasions it was in a semi hard state, but this was the first time she had really gotten a good look at it. Gently she reached out and wrapped her hand around its stiffness and she heard a sharp intake of breath from Kamito. She was surprised at the feel of it. She had expected it to be hard like bone, but instead it had a certain pliability and flexibility to it. Slowly, she stroked him back and forth and looked into his eyes, his dark mysterious eyes that she couldn't help but get lost in time and time again.

He was looking back into her eyes as well, and he could see all the love and respect she had for him in them. He pulled her close and captured her lips with his as she continued to slowly stroke him. Her movements were somewhat awkward, but that didn't lessen the feeling in the least. They lay back down on the bed, facing each other on their sides as they continued to kiss. Kamito allowed his hand to slide down Iseria's back and side until it cupped her bottom. He have her rump a gentle squeeze and she smiled in their kiss. Kamito maneuvered Iseria onto her back and was able to slip out of her grip as he kissed down her neckline to her chest. At the same time, his hand slipped between her legs and slid up her inner thigh to cup her glistening flower. Her petals were soaked and she thrust her hips slightly to increase the pressure against her sex. Kamito rubbed his hand back and forth a few times experimentally before trying to slip a finger into her. Iseria moaned loudly from the attention she was getting. After a few minutes, Iseria decided that it was time to move to the next step. Reaching up, Iseria pushed Kamito onto his back and positioned herself over him and took ahold of his hardness and placed him against her opening. She locked her gaze on his as she slowly lowered herself onto his stiff member.

Kamito's mind went blank as he felt himself being taken into her body. He felt a brief resistance as he tore through her maidenhood and then he found himself completely within her. He couldn't describe the sensation. It was as if she was gently squeezing every inch of him in a warm moist vice. He was slightly concerned when he saw the look of pain flash across her face when they first joined, but that was quickly overridden when he felt a tension snap in his nether region and he released his load into her.

Iseria winced at the pain she felt when he first penetrated her, but the pain was quickly fading into pure pleasure when she felt his member pulse inside her and she felt his warm essence filling her. This sent her over the edge and she experienced her second orgasm of the night. She laid down on his chest to catch her breath and to allow herself a moment to get accustomed to the feeling of him being within her. Pushing herself back up, she could feel that he was still quite hard, and rocking her hips a couple of times, was happy to discover that all the pain was now gone.

Slowly, Iseria started to rock her hips again, gaining speed with each movement. Kamito groaned lightly as she placed his hands on her hips and started meeting each of her thrusts with his own. Iseria bit her bottom lip in an attempt to quiet her moans of pleasure as the two gave themselves to the pleasure. She leaned forward and placed her hands on either side of Kamito's head and kissed him deeply, moaning into his mouth. Feeling the tension building within her once again, Iseria broke the kiss and started moaning loudly. Kamito watched, mesmerized by her swinging breasts, before taking one into his mouth. One hand took the other breast and started massaging it again while his other hand squeezed her rear. Suddenly Iseria sat straight up and threw her head back in a silent scream as she experienced another powerful orgasm. Kamito had to grit his teeth to keep from releasing his load when her insides tightened around him and seemed to try and milk his seed from him.

Iseria collapsed on Kamito's chest breathing hard as she came down from her high. She felt her world turn over as she quickly found herself laying on her back, Kamito's hands bracing themselves on the bed on either side of her. Slowly but surely, she felt him start to pump in and out of her, each thrust hitting the deepest parts of her. This was a completely different feeling, but the same at the same time. Whereas when she was on top and just merely moving a small amount back and forth, Kamito was pulling much further out before thrusting back in, his member brushing against a very sensitive place in her every time he moved.

Fianna walked into the shared dorm and noticed that the common room was vacant. Curious, she walked over the Kamito door and was about to knock when she heard the moans coming from within. At first she wasn't certain what she was hearing until she heard Iseria call out Kamito's name. She was in shock, wasn't he worried about losing his purity, and with that, his ability to form and maintain spirit contracts? She knew she shouldn't eavesdrop, but she was a young woman going through puberty, and as such, was being controlled by her hormones. Fianna slowly sank to the floor on her knees as her hands sought to relieve her frustration. One hand squeezed a breast as the other slipped underneath the waistband of her panties. "Oh, Kamito…" Fianna moaned as she listened to the sounds of pleasure coming from the room.

Iseria's hands went from clutching at the sheets to wrapping around Kamito's back as her legs wound behind his, her ankles locking together. Kamito looked down and watched Iseria's face start to scrunch up as yet another orgasm built. He felt a tinge of pain as her nails dug into his back, but it only added to the sensations he was feeling. He could feel a tension building in his balls again and he knew he would not be able to last much longer.

"Iseria,I'm getting close." Kamito panted.

"So am I! Oh god, this feels so great. Please cum with me." Iseria moaned.

Kamito picked up the pace on his thrusts with Iseria using her legs to try and pull him in deeper.

Iseria pulled him down to her and buried her her face in his shoulder as she screamed with her release. This forced Kamito over the edge and he grunted loudly as he poured his load deep within his lover. Kamito rolled to the side before collapsing , his slowly softening member still within Iseria as they lay staring into their eyes as the drifted off to sleep. A pair of large eyes framed by silver hair stared sadly at the couple from the end of the bed as they lay in each other's arms.

 **Lemon End**

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Kamito awoke first as usual and was shocked to find himself wrapped in Iseria's arms until he remembered what they did the previous night. He quickly checked the contract seals that he had on his body and sighed in relief when he discovered that all were still in place. He was about to roll out of the bed when he felt a small body pressed against his back. He instantly knew that Est was in the bed with them, and she was naked as usual because he could feel her small breasts pressed against his back. Much to Kamito's distress, his body started responding to the fact that he was in bed with two beautiful naked women. He knew that Est had abandonment issues and suffered from bouts of jealousy, but he wasn't sure he wanted to go to that next level with her yet. She might be almost as old as Iseria herself, but with her petite body, Kamito was honestly concerned with harming her. He felt Iseria starting to stir in front of him as he tried to calm his body's reactions. Soon he was looking into her blue eyes that appeared as deep as the oceans themselves and found himself being kissed good morning. Est, not happy to have been left out of Kamito's love the night before, sat up on her knees, clad only in her dark knee socks and frowned saddly.

"Kamito, so mean." Est said coldly.

Kamito turned to his newest contracted spirit and could sense her sadness. He realized she knew what had transpired the previous night and looked to Iseria. She knew what he was silently asking and nodded in agreement. Kamito sat up and took Est into his arms. Brushing her hair back, Kamito kissed Est on the lips, his fingers running through her hair. "Est, I care deeply for you, and I will never leave you, but I am not ready to take things that far yet. Please be patient with me. You are an important part of my life, and I don't want to do anything that would hurt you. Can we please keep things as they are for now?" Kamito admitted his feelings.

Est looked up at him with happy tears in her eyes and gave him a small nod of agreement. Kamito pulled her into a firm hug.

Kamito got out of the bed and started to get ready for the day ahead. With Rinslet injured, they would need to find a replacement member. Velsaria would make a strong addition, but they still needed to have a team of five to be able to compete. Iseria and Est were both dressed and waiting for Kamito by the time he finished dressing himself and checking his appearance in the mirror. They just happened to enter the common room at the same time as Fianna who blushed furiously and dashed back into her room. Kamito looked to the girls who just shrugged.

"Hey Fianna, we're gathering the team together at the cafe near the courtyard this afternoon, okay?" Kamito called out before heading out with Iseria holding his left arm and Est on his right.

They found Velsaria waiting with her sister at the door to the main building. "Good morning Ellis, Velsaria." Kamito greeted them. "Velsaria, these are my contracted spirits, Atlantae and Est."

Velsaria regarded the two female spirits for a moment before bowing respectfully. "It is a pleasure to meet you. Please allow us to get along."

Ellis looked somewhat nervous, glancing off to the side and blushing. "G-good morning Kamito. Umm.."

"What's the matter Ellis? Is everything alright?" Kamito asked slightly concerned.

"I I just wanted to thank you for bringing my sister back to me. Thank you very much." Ellis bowed her head low to show her appreciation.

"It's no problem." Kamito said slightly embarrassed at the display. "By the way, how are your teammates?"

Ellis's blush faded and her eyes were sad. "They are both recovering from the attack yesterday. Unfortunately they will not be able to recover enough to be in the tournament. They asked me to try and find another team and fight for them in the blade dance, but I don't know if I can do that, we promised each other we would make it to the blade dance together. It just wouldn't feel right to go without them." Ellis responded.

"I see, I'm sorry to hear that. We are short a member ourselves, Rinslet was injured in the attack as well." Kamito informed her. "You would be welcome to join my team, your strength and your spirit's abilities would be very beneficial."

"But what about Rakka and Reisha? I just don't know if I could leave them behind like that."

"They want you to make it to the blade dance. You should honor their request and do your best to win for them. If not our team, then Team Shadow Stalkers, I hear they are needing one more member as well." Iseria stated.

Ellis considered her words. It was true, Rakka and Reisha were adamant about her finding a team to join so she could participate in the blade dance, and this would allow her to fight alongside her beloved sister. Ellis closed her eyes while she debated with herself. Finally she opened her eyes and squared her shoulders in determination. Bowing her head respectfully, Ellis made her request. "Kamito, I offer my blade to your disposal. Please allow me to fight for the honor of the knights as a member of your team."

"Ellis, I accept your blade to use as my own. Now stand and take your place among our ranks. May you fight with honor." Kamito said. He didn't know where the words came from, they just sounded right for some reason.

Ellis stood up and nodded. The group entered the building and made their way to Greyworth's office. Kamito opened the door without knocking and held it for the others to enter.

Greyworth was sitting at her desk looking ash some paperwork when the door opened. She didn't bother looking up as Kamito took a seat with Iseria taking the other chair. Est sat on Kamito's leg while Velsaria and Ellis stood almost at attention on either side of Kamito.

"What is it boy? Can't you see I'm busy here?" Greyworth asked impatiently, still looking at what appeared to be a stack of reports.

"I wanted to inform you about some changes to my team, and to let you know that my team is now complete." Kamito stated with confidence.

Greyworth looked up and quirked an eyebrow. "I would assume this has something to do with the two Fahrengart sisters who accompanied you on this little intrusion of my office?"

Ellis paled at the thought of disrespecting the headmistress, while everyone else looked as though they could care less about the sanctity of her office. Greyworth smirked and propped her chin on her hands. "So, you barge into my office without so much as a knock, take a seat in front of my desk without invitation, bring a criminal before me," Greyworth shifted her gaze to Velsaria who did her best to maintain her composure. "and expect me to just accept all this with open arms? What's stopping me from having the lot of you thrown in prison for your actions? Young Ellis here is the only one that could claim to have no knowledge of her sister's poor decision."

Kamito calmly stood up and offered his hands to Iseria who accepted his hand and stood as well. Ellis looked torn between confusion and fear and Velsaria appeared resigned to her fate. "Let's go Iseria, we still have enough time before the blade dance to see if the Principality of Rossvale or the Kingdom of Draconia would be willing to allow us to join one of their teams." Kamito started walking towards the door, seemingly leaving the sisters to their fates.

"Sit down boy, you're not going anywhere." Greyworth ordered.

"Are you going to stop me?" Kamito challenged.

The Dusk Witch stared at Kamito in irritation for a full minute before releasing a dramatic sigh. "You used to be such a obedient boy. Oh well, such fond memories. Fine, you've got your team. Now get out of here."

After exiting the headmistress's office, Ellis asked the question that had been bugging her. "Big sister, what did she mean when she called you a criminal?"

Velsaria sighed heavily, she knew she would have to tell her sister the truth about how far she had been willing to go in the pursuit of power. Kamito knew the sisters would need some space, so he interrupted before they could get started.

"Why don't you two find somewhere private to discuss this. We're going to go by the hospital to check on Rinslet. Meet us at the cafe near the courtyard in a couple of hours and we'll discuss the blade dance then." Kamito walked away with Iseria and Est, leaving the sisters to their discussion.

 **»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»**

Kamito knocked on the door to the room Rinslet was staying in before entering. Rinslet was laying on the bed looking out the window. Her broken leg was propped in a sling. She glanced at the group entering the room before returning her gaze back out the window.

"Rinslet, how are you doing?" Kamito asked out of concern.

Rinslet just kept looking out the window. "My leg is healing quickly, but I still won't be ready in time for the blade dance." Rinslet replied sadly, a tear rolling down her cheek. "If only I had not gotten injured….Now I won't be able to help my sister."

"You don't have to worry about her, just worry about getting well." Kamito assured her. He motioned Est to go shut the door and keep others out.

"How can I not worry about her?! She is encased in ice that cannot be melted! I needed to win the blade dance so I could wish that Lady Iseria would release her!" Rinslet cried, turning to look at Kamito with years attacking down her cheeks.

Iseria stepped forward and her appearance started to change. She took on a more youthful look and her hair shimmered like water. When she spoke, it sounded like a gentle rain shower. "I know of your sister's plight. Your sister had been possessed by a darkness not of this world, and to prevent its spread, I was forced to suspend her in that icy prison. I am unable to remove the darkness from her myself, but Kamito has the ability to do so with the help of Est."

Kamito nodded in acknowledgement. "Once the blade dance concludes, we will travel to where your sister is and set her free."

Rinslet stared at the figure in front of her with wide eyes. She was still trying to process what she had just heard. Her sister would be set free. It had not required winning the blade dance after all. Then it struck her who she was talking to. Oh god! She was in the presence of an Elemental Lord. She grabbed a mirror off the bedside table and saw that she looked an absolute mess. She started searching frantically for a brush to fix her hair when a chuckle interrupted her. Looking up, she saw that both Iseria and Kamito were smiling at her antics. Suddenly her mind caught up with her and everything sank in and her tears started flowing again, but not out of frustration or helplessness this time. These were tears of joy and relief.

Iseria leaned down and hugged the young woman as she wept. "Thank you, thank you so much." Rinslet cried into Iseria's shoulder as the spirit held her and stroked her fingers through her hair.

"Rinslet." Kamito got the blonde's attention. "I need you to do a favor for us."

"Anything." Rinslet agreed quickly.

"I need you to keep a watch out for anything suspicious while we are gone for the blade dance. I have received information that enemy forces may move against the academy when defenses are at their weakest. I have already talked with Greyworth and Ellis about my suspicions, and they have agreed to set things in motion on their end, but I would like to also have you involved. You are a strong spirit user and your contracted spirit is top notch. Fenrir also has the added benefit of being able to act as a conduit between you and Iseria. So, can I count on your help?" Kamito requested. Rinslet was surprised at the seriousness of his tone and of the request.

"Of course, I swear on the honor of the Laurenfrost family that I will do what I can to protect this academy."

"Good, thank you." Kamito offered a slight bow. "I wish you a speedy recovery." Kamito said as he opened the door and left with Iseria and Est.

 **;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:**

Kamito was sitting at a corner table with a cup of coffee while Iseria sipped on a cup of tea and Est was enjoying a large parfait when the others arrived. First was the Fahrengart sisters. Velsaria entered with perfect posture as was her norm. A frown curled the ends of her lips. Ellis walked up behind her with a look of hurt and disappointment on her face.

They had just taken the seats that Kamito offered them when Fianna entered with Claire. Claire froze when she saw the sisters seated with Kamito.

"What the hell are they doing here?" Claire demanded.

Kamito couldn't help but smirk. "Please welcome the newest members of Team Dark Tides. Or is there a problem, Claire Rouge?"

Claire looked like she was going to say something, but wisely kept her mouth shut and looked away.

"Good. Now then, we have just under a week to learn each other's strengths and weaknesses, and to start forming a strategy for the blade dance."

As the group started to break up at the end of the meeting, Fianna tugged on Velsaria's sleeve. Kamito saw Fianna walk off in private with Velsaria, but didn't think it important so dismissed it from his mind.

Once they were sure they were out of earshot, Velsaria turned to face Fianna. "What do you want?"

"I need to ask a favor."

Kamito awoke with a smile. He could feel the two bodies snuggled up with him in three bed and wondered how things could get better. A frown creased his face as he answered that question himself; Restia, her presence was still missing. Her presence would make this scene complete.

He and Iseria had not been able to be intimate again since the first time, but they had an eternity to be together.

Kamito carefully extricated himself from the bed and did some warm up stretches. He dressed in his regular workout clothes as went out for his morning run.

After returning, Kamito stripped down and entered the shower. He fought the urge to chuckle and shake his head when the shower door opened and another presence entered. "Good morning, Est."

"Kamito, let me wash your back." Est insisted.

"Sure, Est. That would be nice." Kamito responded, sitting on the stool so she could reach his back.

"Thank you, Est. That was relaxing." Kamito patted Est on the head.

Iseria was sitting on the end of the bed when they exited the bathroom. "Did you enjoy your shower?" Iseria asked with a knowing smile.

"Yes I did, I suppose it was your idea?" Kamito asked as he started dressing for the day. Today was the day that they would leave for the blade dance. During the last week his team spent time learning each other's strengths and weaknesses, as well as working on strategies for different scenarios since the format for the blade dance had yet to be revealed.

It was during these strategy planning meetings that Kamito developed a small amount of respect for Claire. She was still annoying and immature, but when it came to strategies, she revealed she had good head on her shoulders. She even came up with a couple of ideas that Kamito himself had overlooked.

Ellis, Velsaria, and Claire were waiting just outside the entrance to Kamito's dorm when he emerged, holding the door for Iseria, Est, and Fianna. "Good morning girls." Kamito greeted his team with a smile, which had all three blushing fell into step in a loose formation as they headed for the astral gate to rendezvous with the other two representative teams from the academy.

First was Team Cernunnos lead by the Druid Priestess. Many teams had underestimated the power of the frenzy spirit controlled by the priestess, allowing them to secure the third slot on the blade dance roster. Of course, Kamito's Team Dark Tides was without a doubt ranked first, leaving just one other team.

"Kamitoooo!" A playful voice called out. Kamito resisted the urge to roll his eyes as Misty Lochardt ran up to him and latched onto his arm, earning glares from Iseria and Est, and confused looks from the other girls. "Yay! Both our teams made it to the blade dance! Oh wow! Is that the ship that is taking us to the tournament? It's huge!" Misty exclaimed seeing the airship coming in for a landing. Her team arrived shortly after, Haruka and Arianna walking calmly with two other girls Kamito had heard of, but had never met. One was a cute girl of average build with teal colored shoulder length hair and violet eyes. Her name was Kristina Romanov, contracted to an earth spirit that could turn solid rock into quicksand. She was descended from a royal family that had been ousted from power long ago.

The other girl had yellow eyes and short spiky silver hair. Jacqueline Mallory was a bit of a wild child at the academy, always getting into some sort of mischief, usually with the help of her fire element spirit that took the form of a kitsune. Kamito was not sure if she had a waffe or not, but Inari was known to be a powerful spirit. He actually would have liked to have had her on his team, but she had been gone on family business until recently.

Misty let go of Kamito's arm and ran to where the giant ship was docking. Standing on the dock were a large number of Sylphid Knights, and a scattering of students wanting to see the teams off. Reisha and Rakka, still in bandages, stood at the front of the knights, who were lined up on either side of the walkway. Kamito could see Greyworth standing at the bottom of the gangplank, an amused look on her face.

"Knights! Attention!" Reisha called out. All the knights snapped to attention, their backs straight, legs together, and eyes forward. "Present Arms!" As one, every knight drew their swords and held them in a ready position in front of them. Kamito sighed and shook his head while Ellis approached Reisha and Rakka.

"What's all this?" Ellis asked.

"You didn't expect us to let you leave without a proper send off, did you Captain?" Rakka smiled.

"Come on, let's go." Kamito insisted. He lead his team between the ranks of knights with Iseria walking on his left and Est on his right. Just as they made the gangplank, Greyworth stepped forward.

"Good luck, boy." Greyworth smirked. Leaning closer to him and speaking low enough for only him to hear. "Watch your back, the darkness is preparing to make its move soon."

"I know, thanks." Kamito answered. He had received a report from Lily a few days ago detailing the movements of several key players. It was cause for concern, but the signs appeared that they would not make a move until the blade dance was underway.

All the blade dance participants waved from the ship's railing as it rose into the air. It's destination, Ragna Y's, domain of the Wind Elemental Lord and location for the current blade dance.

 **I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Next chapter will start with the airship ride and going through the ball.**

 **For some entertaining stories, please check out what Imperial-samaB is offering. I beta all his work and he does some solid stories.**


	11. Chapter 11

**After much ado, here is Chapter 11. Sorry for the long wait and thank you for your patience.**

After the small crowd that had given the teams their send off had vanished in the distance, all the teams descended into the ship and located their rooms. Each team had their own level in the ship. There were enough rooms for each member to have their own as well as rooms for any support staff that may have accompanied the team.

This particular ship was transporting the representatives from three regions; the Ordessian Empire, the Knights of the a Dragon Emperor from the Dracunia Empire, and the Rupture Division from the Principality of Rossvale. Because they had the most participants, so had the greatest need for space, the Ordessian Empire was given the uppermost deck, with the Dracunian representatives the next level. The Principality of Rossvale, due to their lack of status since their country was relatively young still, was given the lowermost level.

Kamito was assigned to spend the night in the ship's brig by the princess maidens crewing the ship to protect the purity of the girls on board. Even though his team tried to protest, Kamito agreed, seeing as he would only be confined three for a few hours while everyone slept. They were scheduled to arrive the following day around noon.

Team Dark Tides was currently meeting in one of the common rooms on their deck. While Fianna was setting up a barrier to ensure privacy, Velsaria served tea. Fianna and Claire each took two cubes of sugar while Velsaria added three to her own and Iseria's. Kamito opted to drink his without any sweetener. Velsaria stirred in milk and honey for Ellis.

"So the serious captain of the knights enjoys a child's drink?" Kamito teased lightly.

Ellis blushed slightly. "As a knight, I need the extra nutrients to keep in top form. And tea is so bitter." Ellis mumbled the last part.

Kamito felt a tug on his sleeve. Looking down his gaze was met with large pleading eyes. "Kamito, I want a milk tea."

"Of course, Est." Kamito chuckled placing his hand on her head.

"Kamito is too soft on Est." Fianna grumbled to Claire, who nodded in agreement.

From a messenger bag, Kamito produced a stack of large envelopes. Each envelope had a team name written on it, giving the girls a clue as to the contents.

Claire picked to the file closest to her and glanced through the material. Each page contained in depth information on each member of that team; name, physical description, parental lineage, contracted spirit and it's known abilities, ect. After glancing through several pages, Claire looked up slightly shaken. "Where did you get all this information?" She was shocked to even see favorite foods and grooming habits.

"I have a very highly skilled source that would prefer to remain anonymous, at least for the time being." Kamito informed the girls. "Most of the teams should not pose any problems. The teams to watch out for are; The Dragon Knights of Dracunia, Team Inferno from the Alphas Theocracy, Team Four Gods of the Quina Empire, Team Sacred Spirit Knights from the Holy Kingdom of Lugia and Team Shadow Stalkers from our own academy. The wild card is the Rupture Division from the Principality of Rossvale." Kamito indicated the files for the named teams.

After discussing the particulars of each team, and potential strategies, Kamito excused himself to get some fresh air up on the top deck. Iseria joined him on the railing as he gazed out at the horizon. He glanced at her and smiled, wrapping an arm around her waist before he returned his attention to the vista before them. "This is perfect. I wish that this moment could just last forever." Kamito confided in Iseria.

She smiled and laid her head on Kamito's shoulder. "Once we defeat the Darkness, we can make moments like this over and over."

"Will you stay with me forever?" Kamito asked quietly.

"Of course." Came her reply without hesitation.

Unbenounced to the couple, someone was watching them intently from the other side of the pilot house. A young woman with shoulder length black hair and matching eyes, wearing a very militaristic uniform and a beret on her head, was doing her best to not be sensed by her target. He had come out on the deck alone and stood peacefully, gazing out at the world around him as the ship continued on its journey. She was surprised to see the look in his eye as he gazed out, it was though he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. She had seen the same look in the eye of many seasoned warriors after years of battle. This didn't fit in with the profile that she had been provided by the intelligence branch of the Dracunian army. They painted him as a philandering playboy with no cares or worries other than the next maiden he would sully. Then she had shown up. Leonora recognized her as one of the male's contracted spirits, Atlantae, a water element spirit. She was not sure what Atlantae's abilities were, but just being water affiliated gave the spirit a slight advantage over her Nidhogg. Leonora stared in disbelief as Kamito lovingly wrapped an arm around the spirit's waist and the smile that they shared. She had seen that look shared between life partners, such as her parents. This was not the look of lust she expected, but rather a look of a man who had found his mate.

'Mate' That single word had the young Dragon Princess blushing and a warm feeling in her belly. Taking a little closer look at Kamito, a stray thought entered Leonora's mind. 'He looks to be physically fit to be a mate.' Quickly shaking her head to clear those thoughts, her cheeks felt as though they were on fire. 'I must not lose focus.'

Leonora was trying to figure out how to get Kamito alone when she noticed movement in the shadows. Suddenly several tendrils of darkness sprang from the shadows ensnaring the female spirit.

Kamito and Iseria were just about to head back below decks when Iseria screamed. Without notice, something wrapped around Iseria's arms and legs and yanked her away from Kamito.

"Kamito!" Iseria tried to reach for Kamito as she felt herself being pulled away.

"Iseria!" Kamito lunged for her hand, but she was pulled through a dark magic circle before he could catch her. "NO!" Kamito searched frantically for any signs of Iseria, but she was gone. Dropping to his knees, Kamito couldn't believe that she was gone.

Below deck, Est suddenly materialized and sprinted from the room leaving the girls looking at each other in shock.

"Zazaza. Fufufu, if it isn't the mighty Demon King." A mysterious voice came from the shadows that had just swallowed Iseria. Kamito spun around and saw several of the shadows weave themselves together to form a somewhat humanoid shape.

"Who are you and what did you do with Iseria?" Kamito demanded. He could tell that the form was not solid, so he refrained from lashing out physically.

Leonora had seen the shadows swallow the female spirit and was trying to grasp the significance of the name she heard Kamito call out. She had been told that his spirit's name was Atlantae, but he called out for Iseria. Did he mean the Iseria? She didn't have long to ponder on that as she could see a body forming in the shadows. She was too far away to hear what was being said, but she could tell that it was no friend of Kamito's.

"Don't worry about the Elemental Lord, she is quite safe. For now. How long depends on you." The voice relayed to Kamito.

"Who are you?" Kamito scowled.

"I think you know who I am. You slipped through my grasp the last time we met, but I did receive a nice consolation prize...a certain darkness spirit. Fufufu." The Darkness taunted. This time Kamito was not able to hold himself back from trying to attack the dark silhouette, just for his fist to faze straight through his intended target. "Temper, temper. My representative will be in contact. Meanwhile, I've arranged for a friend to pay you a little visit. Zazaza." The voice faded away as the shadows dispersed.

Kamito!" Est called out in worry as she burst above decks.

"She's gone, Est. The Darkness has taken Iseria." Kamito said sullenly.

"Ooooooooooo!" A loud moan was heard in the distance. Rushing over to the railing, Kamito and Est could see a very large spirit materializing above a hooded figure.

Leonora stood in shock. 'That's Death Gaze! What's it doing here, it should be sealed away back in Dracunia.' She thought in alarm.

The hooded figure shot Kamito a cheeky grin before descending into a magic circle and vanishing.

"I am not in the mood for this!" Kamito growled angrily. He lifted his left arm, palm out, braced with his right arm, he aimed at the approaching annihilation spirit. " **Hado 88: Hiryu Gekizoku Shinten Raiho!"** A massive bolt of blue lightning blasted from Kamito's outstretched arm, arcing it's way towards its target. The recoil from the blast was powerful enough to cause the airship to lurch violently in the opposite direction. Screams could be heard from below decks as elementalists and priestesses were thrown about in the turbulence. Leonora cried out as she was launched across the decking. Thinking quickly, she drew her sword and drove it into the wood as an anchor. When she scanned the skies, there was no trace to be found of the militarized spirit anywhere. Stray bits of electricity arced throughout the ship's rigging, causing her hair to stand on end.

"What power." Leonora whispered in admiration as her eyes started to glaze a smoky red shade. Her instincts were at odds within her. Part of her acknowledged his superiority while another part of her wanted to test his strength, and claim that strength as her own. She could feel herself trembling, but from fear or lust, she wasn't quite sure.

Quickly realizing the error in what he had done, Kamito was able to lead Est below decks before anyone made it topside, and as such, was able to avoid having to answer any potentially damaging questions for now. He knew that wouldn't last forever, but he would deal with that when the time came.

Kamito had just entered his assigned room, the brig, to try and figure out what his next move should be when he heard a familiar voice through his mental link. "Kamito…."

"Iseria? Where are you? Are you alright?" Kamito asked worriedly through the link.

"Kamito, I don't know where I am. I am in some sort of catacomb. It feels somewhat familiar, but I don't remember from where." Iseria responded calmly.

"Don't worry, I'll find you." Kamito swore. "Did the darkness do anything to you?"

"No, it seemed frustrated about something though. I felt it try and enter my mind before I awoke here, but it was not able to do so. Perhaps it's because of our bond?" Iseria reasoned.

"We'll figure that out later. How are you doing?" Kamito inquired now that he knew she had not been possessed by the darkness.

"I've been better." Iseria chuckled. "Don't worry about me now. Focus on what needs to be done, then come and find me."

Kamito sighed. He knew she was right, but despite that, it tore at him to not do something. Then an idea came to him. "Alright Iseria, I'll try. But let me know if anything changes." Kamito acquiesced.

"Of course. Kamito, I love you, please take care."

"I love you too, Iseria. Please stay safe." Kamito ended their conversation. Kamito had no sooner finished communicating with Iseria when a small group of girls entered his temporary quarters. Looking around quickly and discovering no one else around, Fianna quickly set up a barrier.

"Okay Kamito, spill it. What happened back there?" Claire demanded.

Fianna looked around and noticed someone missing. "Kamito, where's Iseria?"

"How in the world would he know where the Water Elemental Lord is….unless…" Claire trailed off as certain pieces fell into place in her mind.

"Unless what?" Ellis asked feeling somewhat lost.

"She was taken by the otherworldly darkness." Kamito answered Fianna's question.

"What does that mean?" Ellis asked. "And isn't your spirit's name Atlantae?"

"Atlantae is just a cover." Kamito admitted.

"Her true identity is Iseria Seaward, the Water Elemental Lord." Fianna finished for him.

"But why the deception? And how did you form a contract with an Elemental Lord to begin with." Claire asked as she was the first to recover from the revelation.

"After I rescued her from the otherworldly darkness, we agreed that the fewer individuals who knew our true identities the better."

"That explains the vast hidden energy I could feel from the two of you." Velsaria spoke up for the first time.

"What is this otherworldly darkness you keep mentioning?" Ellis asked.

"No one really knows what it is or where it came from, what we do know is that it has taken control of the Elemental Lords and is attempting to manifest itself on the physical world. Iseria was not able to remember much from her time under its influence, but did recall that it's presence felt like a manifestation of pure evil. It is able to draw power from negative feelings." Kamito relayed what he knew. "It is becoming stronger, and it is up to us to stop it."

"Someone's coming." Fianna warned Fitbit dispelling her barrier. Kamito nodded in acknowledgement.

"We'll talk later." Kamito told the girls. They all quickly and quietly left, each considering what they had learned. Almost immediately after they left, one of the princess maidens from the Divine Ritual Institute entered to see Kamito laying on his back on the bunk with Est sitting nearby on a chair.

"Please, young miss, do not get too close to that beast if you value your purity." The princess maiden stated with obvious contempt.

"I am Kamito's sword, my place is by his side. If he desired, I would serve as his sheath as well." Est stated in a flat tone.

The maiden gaped like a landed fish, unable to form a response before she rushed away blushing furiously.

Kamito sighed heavily. "I wonder what new rumors will come from that?"

"Did I say something wrong?" A tinge of worry in her voice.

"No Est, you didn't. Oh well, we'll worry about it later. For now, let's get some sleep." Kamito said, moving over to make some room on the tiny mattress. He watched as her clothes dematerialized leaving her just in her knee socks. "Est."

"Yes Kamito?"

"At least for tonight, please have on a nightgown. I'm going to have enough of a headache without having to explain why you are almost naked in my bed, so if you would please." Kamito rubbed his temples.

Est tilted her head to the side in thought for a moment before glowing in a bright light for a few moments. When the light dissipated Est was standing there in a white see through teddy with furry trim. Her pert a cup breasts were clearly visible through the ethereal material.

"Umm..Est, where did you get the idea for that outfit?" Kamito asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I saw it in Ellis's wardrobe. Do you not like it?" Est asked timidly.

"No, it's not that. It suits you well, it just may not be appropriate for tonight." 'To think the serious captain wears such a thing.' Kamito had to shake his head to get rid of the images there.

Est nodded and glowed again, this time ending up in a black lacy one piece with cutouts for the breasts and crotch.

"Let me guess, Fianna, right?" Kamito face palmed. Est nodded. "I'm almost afraid to ask you to try again."

This time when the light faded, Kamito almost had to grab his nose to prevent a nosebleed. Est was wearing a studded leather underbust corset, crotchless white lace thong with black garters.

"Wh-where did you see that?" Kamito asked, afraid of the answer.

"In Velsaria's belongings." Est answered.

Realising that only left Claire, and not wanting to go there, Kamito grabbed one of his shirts and gave it to her to wear. It hung off her very provocatively, but at least she was covered.

At breakfast the next morning, Kamito just poked at his food, not really feeling any desire to eat. He had woken up with Est wrapped around an arm, but he still felt lost without Iseria. Looking at the cute sleeping face of Est, Kamito sworn never to allow anything to happen to her. He had failed to protect Restia in the True Sanctuary. He had failed to protect Iseria on the voyage to Ragna Ys. He would sooner die than fail Est, and as soon as he rescued both Restia and Iseria from the darkness, he would never allow harm to befall them ever again.

The airship arrived at the dock just after noon. After loading their luggage into a waiting carriages, the teams and their guests were transported to their accommodations. Kamito ended up wedged in between Fianna and Velsaria with Est in her sword form resting against his leg. The road to the old castle that would be their home with the duration of the blade dance was less than smooth, with multiple instances of brushed body parts when the carriage would hit a particularly hard bump, although Kamito was certain that at least Fianna was exaggerating the movements to brush her breasts against Kamito's arm more. Her quiet moans at the moments of contact only served to cement his suspicions.

The ride was conducted mostly in silence, with only a small amount of idle chatter about the upcoming ball. Kamito felt some of the hair on the back of his neck stand on end with some of the looks he was receiving from the girls. He honestly would have prefered to skip the ball, but knew that he couldn't for a couple of reasons. First and foremost was the opportunity to meet with the representative of the darkness and discover its demands. He also knew that as a representative of the Arieshia Spirit Academy, and by extension, the Ordessian Empire, Kamito knew that it would be expected of him to make an appearance.

They were greeted at the old castle by a group of younger maidens from the Divine Research Institute, who gathered the luggage belonging to all the female blade dancers much to Kamito's amusement. They glared at him when he raised a eyebrow in their direction. "A male should be at least capable enough to carry his own bags." One maiden spat with venom in her voice.

Kamito almost asked her if that meant that the female participants were less capable, but settled with just smiling, which just further infuriated the maidens.

"You seem to be popular with the Divine Ritual maidens, Kamito." Velsaria joked.

"Must be my charming personality." Kamito shrugged nonchalantly.

"Kamito, you're free to share my room if they don't have one for you." Fianna teased invitingly, a slight blush dusting her cheeks.

"Wh-wh-what are you saying offering such a thing?" Claire stammered, kicking herself for not thinking of it first.

"Of course the lewd beast has his own room befitting his station. Who knows what he would do to any poor maiden that had to share a room with him." The maiden showing them their rooms stated.

'This is getting ridiculous.' Kamito groaned in his head.

"Kamito's lewd reputation precedes him." Est stated from Kamito's side.

"Not you too, Est." Kamito face palmed.

"But Kamito is lewd." Est looked up at Kamito.

"What did you do to her, Kamito?" Claire growled, summoning flametongue.

"Despicable male." Velsaria huffed.

"Being lewd with your spirit with me around? So mean, Kamito." Fianna accidentally spoke aloud.

Everyone just stared at Fianna, who at least had the decency to blush sheepishly. "Hehe, did I say that outloud?"

"Kamito!" Misty called out in a sing song voice breaking the awkward atmosphere. She ran up and grabbed Kamito's arm. "Hey Kamito, I heard that they have a wonderful spring not too far from here that is great for purification. Your team should definitely join us, it would be a great opportunity to cleanse ourselves before the ball tonight." Misty said excitedly.

Fianna grinned mischievously as she grabbed Kamito's other arm, placing it between her breasts. "That sounds like a great idea." She looked at Kamito with puppy dog eyes. "Please, Kamito, won't you come swim with us?"

Kamito felt a tugging at his sleeve. "I want to play in the water with Kamito too." Est pleaded. Kamito did his best to not roll his eyes, but knew he was out voted when he saw the other girls trying to look uninterested in his answer.

"Fine, but only for a little while." Kamito relented.

"Yahoo!" Misty and Fianna cheered together. Misty quickly ran off to inform her team while the girls on Kamito's team disappeared into their room dragging Est with them to get changed into their bathing suits. Kamito shook his head and sighed. Some Demon King he was, being so easily manipulated by the young ladies. He really should work on that. He opened the door to his assigned room and discovered it was little more than a broom closet with a small bed and a vanity being the only furniture that was provided, let alone would fit in there.

'Maybe they would respect me more if I razed this castle.' Kamito contemplated briefly. He had no desire to actually become the Demon King, but if it would grant him the power to protect those he cared about, then he would embrace those powers. But that didn't mean he needed to allow himself to be controlled by those powers.

Kamito arrived at the natural spring to a very alluring sight; two teams of girls were currently splashing about in their swimwear. It looked far more like just a group of girls playing and having fun rather than a sacred cleansing to appease the spirits. The swimwear varied greatly from girl to girl. From Team Dark Tides: Fianna was barely clad with just a strip of black cloth to cover her ample chest and a black bikini bottom held up with yellow string. Claire was wearing a bright red two piece that did its best to emphasize her meager bust. Ellis was wearing a sporty one piece in navy blue with a teal stripe crossing from her left shoulder to her right hip. Velsaria's outfit was a very striking black bikini with silver trim.

Team Shadow Stalkers were not any more conservative. Misty was the stand out with a top that looked like sea shells tied together with twine and white bikini bottoms. Arianna was far more conservative with a yellow tankini and matching boyshort style bottoms. Haruka was surprisingly bold in a outfit that appeared to be a strip of heavy cloth tied around her chest and a loin cloth. Kristina wore a black suit that looked like a two piece that connected in the front with a silver ring. And Jacqueline had on a one piece that had no shoulder straps and with a hole on each side. It faded from red at the bottom to orange at the top.

The girls were laughing and splashing around as a few water spirits played amongst them. Kamito smile and chuckled as one water spirit playfully charged at Fianna and crashed into her, completely soaking her. At first she pouted as everyone laughed at her reaction, but was soon joining them in laughter. 'Iseria would love this." Kamito smiled before his mood soured again at the thought of her not by his side.

Not wanting to disturb their fun, Kamito left before he was noticed. Est, though, knew he was nearby through their connection. She could also feel the turmoil in his soul, so she discreetly left the others to follow him. She caught up with him in a clearing. He was crouched over a circle that was split in four. He had just finished starting symbols into each quadrant and was now standing up.

" **Heart of the South, Eye of the North,Finger of the West, Foot of the East, Arrive with the wind and depart with the rain. Bakudo 58: Kakushitsuijaku!"** A glowing sphere shot into the air from the circle and rocketed away quickly. Numbers began to appear in the circle. Est looked at Kamito curiously. "It's a tracking spell, it'll tell us where Iseria is." Kamito explained. It tore at his heart when she nodded her understanding with a sad look.

He gently cupped her chin and lifted her face to look at him. He gave her a light kiss on the lips. "Est, you are precious to me, just like Iseria is. If anything were to happen to you, I would do everything in my power to return you to my side. I need to know where Iseria is, and this will tell me."

Est blushed and looked at the numbers in the circle. They had stopped changing, indicating that the spell had found its target. Seeing the numbers that told where Iseria was, Est had a sudden flashback of a massive war in a now deserted city. "Megidoa." Est whispered.

"What was that, Est? Do you know where this is?" Kamito asked, not quite hearing what she said.

Est nodded. "It is the abandoned city of Megidoa. It was the site of the largest battle of the spirit war where Ren Ashdoll made her last stand before being defeated by the other Elemental Lords and their armies." Est relayed.

Kamito considered this carefully. "If she is being held there, then that must be the location for the final round of the blade dance. I could see why the Otherworldly Darkness would choose that location to contain Iseria. It believes that once it defeats me, it will be able to repossess Iseria and complete whatever plans it has."

Deciding to forego the supposed purification ritual, Kamito went for a walk with Est by his side. They ended up back at the old castle. Est, tired from maintaining her human form reverted to her resting sword stage and Kamito placed her gently in her scabbard hanging from the end of the bed frame. Still feeling restless, Kamito changed back into normal clothes and attached Est's sheath to his belt and strolled aimlessly through the corridors. Closing his eyes, he could sense the magic about the place. Not the spirit magic of the blade dance contestants, but old magic, the magic that had been used in the construction of the castle many ages ago. Placing his hand on an exposed section of stone wall, Kamito suddenly had a vision. He could see a group of six people gathered in a central courtyard. Four men and two women, with one of them being Iseria. There was an old man in golden robes holding a staff, a large red-headed man with a huge bushy beard with a stein in his hand laughing boisterously while slapping the back of the male next to him. He was clad in a suit of armor that had a green patina to it, which matched his piercing green eyes hidden below a mop of black hair. Iseria was sitting in the shade chatting quietly with a young blonde haired boy. Standing with her back to a wall seemingly not paying attention was a woman that looked slightly older than all but the old man with the staff.

"These must be the Elemental Lords, but when is this from?" Kamito wondered aloud.

"This is from a time before the spirit wars." Kamito could hear Est's voice through the vision. "A time before the otherworldly darkness drove the Elemental Lords to madness. Please, Kamito, save the Lords and restore true peace to the worlds."

"Est?" Kamito asked confused. He had never heard Est sound so passionate about something. Turning to look in the direction of her voice, Kamito was surprised by what he saw. He could tell it was Est, but she appeared much older. She was as tall as he was, her long silver hair cascading down her back, a white summer dress reaching down to her knees, her legs bare for the first time he had ever seen. He could see that she had modest sized breasts, and a mirthful look in her eyes. "I.I don't understand."

"Kamito" The older Est smiled gently. "Free my true self and I will slay all that stands in your way."

Kamito found himself standing alone in the corridor, Est still in her resting form on his hip. "What the hell was that?" Kamito questioned out loud. Looking out a window, Kamito could see that the hour was getting late, and as much as he detested going to the ball, he knew he should go get ready to make an appearance. "Well, let's get this over with." He sighed before returning to his room. He could hear the girls conversing in their room as he passed by.

"Kamito!" Kamito cringed at the sound of Fianna's voice. "Where have you been? We were all expecting you down at the lake, and then Est vanished. We were so worried about you." Fianna grabbed Kamito's arm and placed it between her breasts while giving him puppy dog eyes.

Kamito sighed and rubbed the back of his head with his free hand. "Listen Fianna, I have a lot going on in my head right now. I took a walk to try and clear my mind, sorry to worry you girls." Kamito apologised.

Fianna looked in his eyes and could see he was telling the truth, but something else was there too. "Okay, I'll forgive you this time, but if you need someone to talk to, don't hesitate to come see me. I'm sure I can take you mind off whatever is bothering you." Fianna offered, blushing lightly at her own boldness.

Kamito didn't miss the hidden intention in her words. "Thanks. I'll keep that in mind." He responded before turning to and entering his room as Fianna returned to hers.

Kamito was checking his appearance in the mirror after getting changed when he saw Est appear behind him dressed for the ball. She was wearing a silver gown that matched her hair and appeared to sparkle in the light. Kamito felt his mouth go dry. "Wow, Est. That dress really suits you." Kamito complimented. Est shyly looked away with a light blush. The dress was cut perfectly for her small frame, able to emphasize her modest curves. Kamito had a quick flashback to the image of how she looked in his vision and resolved to redouble his efforts to unlock her true self. The version of her lost to time.

Kamito turned back to his image in the mirror. He sighed in annoyance. Greyworth, knowing that he did not have any formal clothes, had packed a fitted suit for him. It consisted of black slacks and a black over coat, a silver waistcoat that matched Est's dress, a red sash that held the scabbard for a dress sword. With a deep sigh, Kamito resigned himself to the evening. "Ready, Est?" Kamito offered his arm. Est looked at him curiously until he guided her hand to his elbow. Together they left their room for the ball.

 **Sorry for the delay on this. It took much longer than expected to get it to where I liked it. I knew where I wanted it to go, but getting there was a bumpy road. Next chapter will be the ball. Thank you for your patience.**


	12. Chapter 12

**This is a bit shorter than normal so I could post this with the other chapter. Next chapter will be back to the normal length.**

The ballroom looked exactly as it did three years ago as Kamito entered with Est on his arm. He shuddered slightly at the memories of having to dance with all the eligible and married men during his time as Ren Ashbell. He knew that this time would be different, but that didn't help matters.

"Announcing Kazehaya Kamito, representative of Areishia Spirit Academy!" The attendant at the door announced. Kamito was irritated that he did not announce Est, but refrained from making a scene. He led Est into the ballroom and located an empty table for them to use. Looking around, he did not see any of the other members of his team yet. Leaving Est at the table he made his way to the buffet table and collected a couple of drinks. While at the table, Kamito felt a familiar energy approach from behind.

"Hello, Kazehaya Kamito. You are looking well." A young female voice greeted him. Turning around, Kamito saw a young woman with white hair and bright blue eyes in a cheongsam style dress. It was red with a white tiger outline on each side.

"It's been a while, Shao Fu. It's been four years now, hasn't it?" Kamito returned the greeting.

"Yes, about that I'd say. That suit fits you well, although you were cute in that maid's dress as well." Shao teased.

"Well that dress suits you much better than that delivery boy's dirty clothes." Kamito replied. He had met Shao Fu while working for Greyworth as a bodyguard. Shao had posed as a delivery boy to make an attempt on Greyworth's life, but was battled to a stalemate by Kamito. She is one of the few who knew of his identity as Ren Ashbell. She was so impressed by his abilities that she agreed to withdraw, as long as he agreed to fight her again in the future. They had maintained occasional contact over the years and would share information that they thought could be of use to the other.

Shao laughed. "I am looking forward to battling with you again. I hope you do not disappoint me."

"Don't worry, I'll give you a fight you will never forget." Kamito promised with a smile.

"Until then may your days be fruitful and your nights restful." Shao bowed before turning to leave.

"And your's as well." Kamito returned the bow.

Taking the drinks, Kamito returned to the table. Est was sitting there Ellis and Velsaria. Evidently he had missed their introductions while he was talking with Shao. Ellis was wearing a light pink dress with frills around her arms. Her hair was in a braid that fell over her right shoulder. Velsaria was dressed in a dark blue backless gown, her bangs braided around the sides of her head leading to a braid down her back.

"Ellis, you look very good this evening. And Velsaria, that dress suits you perfectly." Kamito complimented the girls who blushed slightly at the attention. Est huffed and turned away from Kamito. Kamito shook his head at the jealous display. "Here's your drink, Est." Kamito set her drink on the table. Being a gentleman, Kamito took the Fahrengart sisters' drink requests and returned with them shortly thereafter.

The orchestra started to play a new song and Ellis tugged lightly on Kamito's sleeve. "Umm...Kamito?" She asked blushing. "Wo-would you share a dance with me?"

Kamito considered it for a moment, then nodded. "I don't see why not, but I only know basic steps." Kamito stood and held his hand out for Ellis who took it shyly. Reaching the dance floor, kamito placed one hand on her hip and held her other hand as they began to dance to the music. Kamito heard the doorman announce several other blade dance participants and other notable guests when he felt a tap on his shoulder. It was a woman wearing a sparkling emerald green gown and a red mask framed by lustrous black hair that fell down past the small of her back.

"May I cut in?" The masked woman asked. The song had just ended, but Ellis didn't want to leave Kamito alone with this woman.

"Good evening, Ren Ashbell." Kamito said. "It's alright, Ellis. Nothing will happen here with so many people around." " _Est, please be patient with me. I promise I will save a dance for you, but I need to talk to someone right now."_ Kamito communicated with Est mentally. He could feel her dissatisfaction through their link and shuddered at what it will likely cost him.

After Ellis reluctantly left, Kamito started to dance with the Ren Ashbell imposter. "Nice to see you again, Calamity Queen." Kamito smirked.

"Likewise, Demon King." Rubia countered with her own smirk. Her smirk quickly faded. "I heard about your spirit. This is why you need to fully awaken your powers, to defeat the Otherworldly Darkness." Rubia said in a low tone.

"How did you hear about that?" Kamito asked somewhat suspicious. He knew that the Darkness's representative was a part of Team Inferno, but he was unsure who it was. He was certain it was not Muir or Lily, but that still left Rubia, Sjora, and their unnamed teammate as possibilities.

"Restia told me. She may not be by your side currently, but she is still linked to you." Rubia explained.

Just then came the announcement for the arrival of Claire Rouge. She walked in wearing a red gown that hugged her curves with her hair up in her traditional twin tail style. Rubia clenched her fist when she started to hear the whispers about her being the sister of the Calamity Queen, and how she should not be allowed to compete. How it was shameful for her to be allowed to roam free and she should be locked away with the rest of the Elsteins.

One young man approached Claire while looking back and smirking at his entourage, who was just behind him. "Good evening, my beauty. Would you please give me the honor of this dance?" He said in a haughty tone. The way he kept looking back to his peers made it clear he was more interested in her because her relation to the Calamity Queen and an actual interest in who she was as an individual.

Claire gave him a distasteful look and declined. He chuckled and looked back to his group of followers again before reaching for her hand. "Please don't be so hasty. Please allow me to apologise by kissing your hand." Claire looked mortified, she struggled to get away, but the young man's grip was too strong.

Rubia was just about to rush to her sister's side when a hand gripped her shoulder. "Not here. All you will do is expose yourself and possibly endanger your sister. She is my teammate, I'll handle this." Kamito stated with a frown. Rubia nodded and seemed to calm down, but Kamito could still see flames of rage in her eyes. Kamito was just about to intervene when another beat him to it.

A slender hand in a white glove slapped the young man hard on the cheek. "As a noble from a country being represented in the blade dance, you should be well aware of the symbolism involved in a spirit pact. Such an action is most disgraceful." Fianna fumed, taking a place between Claire and the young noble. All attention in the ballroom was focused in their direction. It took a moment, but the man realized who was in front of him.

"You wench. My family paid your family handsomely for you. You were supposed to be delivered to me two years ago, but you vanished. Well, I guess late is better than never." He sneered, roughly grabbing her wrist.

"Let go of me. I don't belong to you or anyone." Fianna struggled to break free.

"I'll teach you to respect me." The prince raised his hand to strike her and Fianna closed her eyes, but the strike never came. When she opened her eyes, she saw that the man's fist was caught in Kamito's grip.

"You will not lay a finger on her or any other woman." Kamito growled deeply. The young man wrenched his hand free and turned furiously towards Kamito. "Do you know who I am? I am the crowned Prince of Balstan. Grabbing me in such a manner is a capital offence. I challenge you to a duel." The Prince spat, drawing a sword from his side.

Est rushed up to Kamito's side and looked up at him, ready to serve as his sword. Kamito looked at her determined face and nodded. Placing his hand on the top of her head, Kamito called out. " **Dispassionate Queen of Steel, the sacred sword that destroys evil, now form my sword!"**

The Prince looked on flabbergasted as Est vanished in spirit particles only to reform into a longsword. "Y-you're an elementalist?" He asked in disbelief. The Prince quickly recollected himself. "No matter, I will defeat you and then claim what is my right."

Kamito stared at the arrogant prince. "You will not lay a finger on any member of my team. First you disrespected Claire, then you attempted to strike Fianna. The only reason you are not dead yet is my team would be disqualified from the blade dance. But now you have challenged me to a duel, and I have to admit, I am going to enjoy this more than I should."

"You think I'm scared of you? Hah! You are probably just as pampered as those maidens you surround yourself with. You probably can't even fight without your spirit. Even now you are too scared to fight me as a man, without your precious spirit giving you strength." The Prince sneered.

" _Est, please sit this one out. I promise to make it up to you later, but this prick needs to learn just how big of a mistake he just made."_

" _Yes Kamito."_ Est reverted back to her human form and stepped just behind Kamito. Kamito smiled menacingly as he drew the ceremonial sabre that Greyworth had included with his suit.

"So then, where were we?"

The prince charged at Kamito and swung in a downward arc. Kamito sidestepped and allowed the blade to pass harmlessly through the space he had just occupied. The prince pivoted and brought his sword around in a horizontal slash which kamito ducked under. Growling in anger, the prince grasped his sword with both hands, swinging straight down. Kamito pivoted out of the way of the blade, a smirk firmly engraved on his face.

"Quit dodging and fight me!" The frustrated prince demanded as he thrust his sword at Kamito. Kamito struck the flat of the blade with his palm sending the prince off balance and struck the prince in the back of the legs with the flat of his blade. The prince yelped and started to swing his blade wildly hoping to get a lucky strike in. The blade was almost moving in slow motion to Kamito, who had no trouble avoiding the wild swings. Kamito stepped into the prince's guard and struck him with an open palmed slap.

The prince was seeing red. How dare this man who was so much beneath him slap him? His opponent had been making a mockery of their duel from the beginning, and now this? He would have his head mounted on a pike as a warning to all others of the consequences of making a fool of the Crown Prince of Balstan. He drew a dagger he had hidden in his coat and charged Kamito once again.

In an almost inhuman display of agility, Kamito dodged both blades and slammed the pummel of his sword into the prince's solar plexus, knocking all the air out of the prince's lungs. Before the prince could react to the first blow, Kamito followed up with a slash that severed the prince's belt, and ended with a spinning heel kick to the prince's jaw. The prince was sent flying at the same time his pants fell to his ankles, revealing his underpants to the assembled crowd.

The prince's entourage quickly rushed to his side to check on their leader, who was currently unconscious. Kamito sheathed his sword and spun on his heel, quickly leaving the ballroom. Still fuming, Kamito soon found himself in an old unkempt courtyard. Finally able to calm himself, he took notice of his surroundings. Even though the weeds were overgrown, he could see that this was once a special area. Wandering around he found a stone laden circle with several statues around the perimeter. Looking closely he could recognize the features of the figures in his earlier vision in the statues. These were the statues depicting the Elemental Lords. Holy Lord Alexandros, Water Lord Iseria Seaward, Earth Lord Lode Gear, Fire Lord Volcanus, Air Lord Belphal, and….The last statue was smashed beyond recognition and the name on the plaque was obliterated. Seeing this sent a pain through Kamito's being.

"It's a sad sight, isn't it?" A familiar voice whispered in Kamito's ear.

"Restia." Kamito sighed.

"I've missed you, Kamito." Restia slipped her arms around Kamito's shoulders and nibbled on his earlobe.

"What are you doing, Restia?" Kamito closed his eyes to try and ignore the sensations she was sending through him.

"You've been a bad boy. I was supposed to be your first." Restia teased.

"I'm sorry, Restia. You can feel my feelings for Iseria, and they will never change. Restia, I love you, but I also love Iseria, and also Est." Kamito admitted.

Restia left a trail of kisses along Kamito's shoulder and down his arm as she moved to his front. Restia could feel more than one set of eyes on her and Kamito. One set she knew belonged to his newest contract spirit, Est. The other set she was not certain about. 'As long as they know their place and keep their distance, I have no problem with them watching.' Restia thought mischievously.

Est had followed Kamito out of the ballroom and had watched as he wandered the courtyard. She was just about to approach him when she felt Restia's presence. She felt her heart flutter a bit when she heard Kamito tell Restia that he loved her. She would prefer to have him all to herself, but knew that would never happen, so she was content to share his love with whomever he wanted to allow near him.

The other set of eyes watching Kamito with Restia were edged with a smoky red hue. "Show me the true measure of a man." Leonora Lancaster muttered. She had witnessed the fight in the ballroom and applauded his standing up for his team member, but still kept all the rumors she had heard about him in the back of her mind.

Kamito groaned lightly in pleasure with what Restia was doing to him. She had eased him to a sitting position on the edge of a fountain in the center of the courtyard and had straddled his waist. She was nibbling on his earlobe while her hands roamed over his chest, slipping inside his coat, sliding it off his shoulders. "Kamito…" She whispered seductively. "I think I should punish you for not taking me first." Restia teased, grinding her hips on Kamito's crotch, eliciting a low moan from him. From her hiding spot up on a nearby terrace, Leonora's dragon blood enhanced sense of smell could pick up the scent of Reastia's arousal, and suddenly the young dragon princess was very thankful for her lack of undergarments.

With a sly smirk, Restia quickly got off Kamito's lap and smoothed her dress. "See you soon, lover boy." She turned and walked away, swaying her hips in an exaggerated manner as she left. Kamito let out a very frustrated growl as he picked up his jacket and brushed it off. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he finally noticed the other presences in the courtyard. He recognized Est, but was not familiar with the other energy signature, although he did seem to recall feeling it before while on the airship.

"I'm heading back to the room, Est." Kamito said aloud. Est was by his side by the time he reached the doorway. Kamito could tell she had overheard the conversation by the look in her eyes, her face was still unexpressive. He held his hand out and Est took it and together they walked back to their room.

 **Here is the Ballroom scene. Sorry if I didn't make the fight with the prince longer. Thought I would get this out quickly to make up for taking so long to get the other chapter out. Next chapter will be the Library and around town leading up to the start of the Blade Dance.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Sorry this took so long to get out. Holidays, work, life, and the mother of all writer's blocks all conspired against me. I promise to try and do better. For now, I hope you enjoy.**

"Ughhh." Kamito groaned as he woke up the following morning. Est was sleeping next to him wearing one of his shirts as a nightshirt. "Restia….you suck." Kamito felt a warm glow radiate from his left hand. Throughout the night Restia had sent many mental images to the young Demon King, many of which were not suitable for children. Elsewhere a pair of dusk colored eyes opened with a mischievous glint.

There was some time before the opening ceremony for the blade dance and Kamito wanted to do some research, so he decided to go visit the Biblion run by the Divine Ritual Institute. He wanted to see what information her could turn up about the ancient city of Megidoa, and if he was really lucky, information about Est's true form from the Spirit Wars.

Kamito and Est had just left their room when they met Fianna in the hall. "Hey, Kamito. Morning, Est." Fianna greeted, a light blush dusting her cheeks.

"Good morning, Fianna." Kamito greeted in return while Est nodded in acknowledgement. "I trust you slept well?"

"Ye-yes, I did." Fianna fumbled, blushing as she remembered a very stimulating dream she had last night.

"Okay…." Kamito trailed off, unsure of what to think of her reaction. "Well, Est and I were just heading out."

"Umm...Kamito?" Fianna tugged lightly on his sleeve as he started past her.

"Yes?"

"I...umm...I wanted to thank you. For last night, at the ball, for...umm...you know, standing up for me and defending me from that prince." Fianna looked at the floor and poked the tips of her index fingers together shyly.

Fianna looked up when Kamito placed a hand on her shoulder and was immediately lost in his dark powerful eyes. "Fianna, I would have stepped in even if we were not friends and teammates. No woman deserves that kind of treatment. So don't worry about it. Well, I'll see you later at the opening ceremony, okay?" Fianna merely nodded as he and Est took their leave.

"Kamito…." Fianna whispered longingly.

They were working their way through town toward the library when Kamito felt a familiar energy trying to discretely follow them, or more specifically, him. Kamito rolled his eyes and led Est on a meandering route through the vendor's booths till they came to an alleyway. Picking Est up bridal style, Kamito used Meta Three Dimensional Movement to quickly scale the wall to the roof.

A few moments later two figures entered the alleyway and were shocked to find our empty. "Damn it, he got away. Of all the days for Ruka to pull her little vanishing act." Misty cursed.

"I still don't see what you see in that guy." Arianna huffed in annoyance as the two merged back into the crowd on the street.

With their tail lost, Kamito and Est continued to the Biblion. Once inside, Kamito directed Est to look for any books pertaining to the spirit war while he went to the sealed archives to see what he could learn about the ancient city of Megidoa and to see if any records of the sixth Elemental Lord, Ren Ashdoll, still existed.

The librarian led him down to the sealed archive entrance, and spoke a few words in the spirit language causing the door to glow blue for a moment. "Remember, none of the materials beyond this door are allowed to be removed and you are not permitted to publicly discuss anything you may learn here without explicit permission of the Divine Ritual Institute."

"I understand, thank you for your hospitality." Kamito bowed politely.

The librarian looked at Kamito skeptically for a moment then informed him of the research room he could use. Kamito thanked her again as she left. Wandering through the aisles, Kamito collected several books and scrolls that he thought might contain some useful information. Taking the collected materials to the research room, Kamito shut the door and settled into a comfortable chair. He had just opened the first book when he heard the click of the door catch. He knew it wasn't Est, he could feel her presence several floors above. Focusing, he knew that her energy felt familiar, but still one he didn't recognise.

Waiting until his visitor was right behind him, Kamito turned and greeted the newcomer. "Good morning….miss Leonora Lancaster. How may I assist the Dracunia Empire today?"

Leonora almost yelped in surprise when her quarry suddenly turned to face her. She was sure she had not made any overt noises. She was also surprised by the cordial manner he greeted her with, he definitely didn't act in the manner the intelligence department said he would. "So you know of me and who I represent." It was a statement rather than a question.

"Of course. I have a bit of a habit of researching possible opponents. I find that reliable information can be a very valuable tool to possess." Kamito allowed himself a small smirk.

Leonora frowned because she believed in his words and knew her own information was flawed. "Tell me who you really are I need to know why my blood boils so at even your mere thought. I have witnessed your strength. Even now, even though you are suppressing your power, I can feel it lurking beneath the surface, like a dragon slumbering."

Kamito shrugged. "I'm nobody special, just another pawn in the scheme of fate and destiny."

"Please, you are about as much of a pawn as you resemble the rumors about you." Leonora's eyes started to smolder a smoky red and her spiritual pressure started to rise. "I was originally instructed to strip you of your manhood to prevent you from defiling any of the maidens in your presence, but I believe you would be a better benefit to the great Dracunian Empire whole and fit."

'What is this feeling?' Kamito pondered. He was having a difficult time controlling his dark powers. They were subconsciously reacting to Leonora's, ebbing and fluxing in response to her release. 'Her power feels like a missing piece of my own, as of obtaining it would somehow complete me.'

In response to Kamito's release of power, Leonora's breathing became more ragged, her skin started to flush, her nipples hardened and pressed outward on the fabric of her blouse. Leonora's hands traveled to her thighs, where they slowly started inching up, taking her skirt with them.

"Careful, much farther and I will see your panties." Kamito said in a low voice, his senses going into overdrive. He could hear her heartbeat, feel her power, see the flush on her skin, and smell the scent of her arousal.

"There's nothing to worry about there. We who serve the dragon's are not permitted to wear undergarments of any kind." Leonora responded in a husky tone.

In another area of Ragna Ys, a smirk formed on the face of a certain darkness spirit. "That man, it seems more punishment is called for."

In the catacombs beneath Megidoa, Iseria couldn't help but chuckle lightly. "Well this is unexpected. It seems his true powers are awakening sooner than I expected. I wonder who he has chosen." She mused before returning to her exploration.

Suddenly the door burst open and a line of swords formed a picket between Kamito and Leonora causing them to jump back, but also served to snap them back to reality. Kamito blinked a few times and looked down to see Est standing in front of him protectively. Kamito chuckled and rubbed Est lightly on the top of her head. Est let out a content sound, but never removed her gaze from the Dracunian princess.

Leonora took a few deep calming breaths while smoothing her uniform. "I shall take my leave now, but prepare yourself for the next time we meet shall be on the field of battle. Remember this, Kamito; The dragons of Dracunia will go all out to take down even hunting lions." With that she turned sharply on her heel and left the research room.

After she left, Kamito gripped the side of his head and shook it lightly. 'What the hell was that about? I have never felt anything like that before.' "Thank you, Est. That was almost an uncomfortable situation. Were you able to come up with anything?

"No, Kamito. The current library only contains information since the previous Demon King was defeated. The old library was destroyed in the war to vanquish him." Est informed Kamito.

"Well, damn. I guess it can't be helped." Kamito sighed. "Let's put these books up and I'll get you a parfait."

"Yes, Kamito." Est responded, a small smile on her lips.

Deep under the Temple of the Queens lay an ancient abandoned shrine. Illuminated by a couple of small light spirits, Sjora Khan stood at the head of a simple wooden casket. Chanting in a long forgotten language, a dark mist seeped from her body and slipped through the cracks of the casket. Her chanting reached a fevered pitch and a brilliant flash of light illuminated the sanctuary. Drained of a large amount of her divine power, Sjora collapsed on the ground. Pulling herself into a sitting position, she wondered if the ceremony had been successful or not when she heard a banging from the wooden box. Inside the box flesh mended itself, a severed arm reattached itself in its former place. Sjora watched in morbid fascination as the casket started to violently shake, the nails working themselves loose. Suddenly the lid blew off and the rest of the wooden box exploded into splinters. As the dust cleared, a being of pure darkness stood in the spot previously occupied by the casket.

"Ha, ha, hahahahaha!" The figure started laughing maniacally. "Yes, this is it! The power I have been denied for so long! Finally, I can prove that I am the true Demon King!" The dark mist condensed into a set of black armor surrounding the figure. Holding the helm in his hand, Jio Inzagi stood, resurrected and overflowing with the power derived from the Otherworldly Darkness. "Kamito, rest while you can, I am coming for you." Jio placed his helm on his head and held out his hand. The darkness that made up his armor shifted and formed a massive black sword that resembled a flamberge.

Sjora had just regained her feet when a figure materialized out of the shadows. The figure had a decidedly feminine look, but all other details were shrouded in the shadows. "Zazazaza...My my, such greed and ambition, it would seem my gift went to the right person. I can't wait to see how you put my gift to use in the future, but for now you must remember that you must not kill during the event. What you do after is no concern of mine. You are now Nepenthes Lore, the very embodiment my will. You will defeat each of the other teams, and then you shall receive your due."

"I will not let your gift go to waste." Jio now as the Nepenthes Lore bowed his head.

"Zazazazaza" The figure melted back into the shadows.

Kamito and Est had just sat down at a small cafe when the rest of his team walked in, obviously having spent the morning visiting the various shops that had set up for the blade dance festivities.

"Hi, Kamito!" Fianna said rushing to the table he and Est had just claimed. The others followed soon after. Although they were trying to hide it, it was apparent that each of the other girls were just as excited to see their male teammate. Even Velsaria had a slight blush as she took her seat. The waitress soon arrived to take their orders.

Kamito took a moment to relax for a few minutes as he observed the girls that were around him. He knew soon enough they were going to be pitched into a battle of survival against many teams that all had the same goal: being granted a wish from the Elemental Lords. If only they knew the truth….

 **X) X) X) X) X) X) X) X) X) X) X) X) X) X) X) X) X) X) X) X) X) X) X) X) X) X) X) X) X) X) X) X) X) X) X) X) X) X) X)**

Team Dark Tides entered the courtyard of the Queens' Palace following behind Team Shadow Stalkers. Most of the other teams were already standing at their assigned stations awaiting the last of the teams to arrive and the Queens to open the blade dance. The tension in the air was heavy as Kamito entered the courtyard. He could feel the eyes of every elementalist on his as he took his place in front of his team. Looking around, Kamito to note of each of the key players.

A young woman in a white uniform with red trim stood proudly in front of her team with her arms crossed, glaring daggers at Kamito. Kamito remembered the last time he had fought against Luminaris Saint Leisched in the finals of the previous blade dance. She was a very strong opponent who unfortunately for Kamito had been blessed with a Holy spirit, quite a bad match for his own darkness spirit, Restia. Kamito could feel that she had become stronger in the last three years, and the rest of her team was composed of elementalists on par with or stronger than his own team. They would be difficult to defeat.

The next team that Kamito's eyes scanned was the sole team from the nation of Quina, Team Four Gods. Shao Fu gave him a smirk that spoke of an eagerness to fight. Each girl wore a different color, Shao in white, Hakua in black, Rao Rin in blue, Rion Sharma in crimson, and Princess Linfa in royal robes. This is one team that Kamito knew was going to be trouble. He knew that at least three of the members were trained as assassins, one was almost as accomplished as a spy as Lily, and the last was quite accomplished in ritual dance. Truly a team to be feared.

Kamito spotted Leonora standing in front of her team under the colors of Dracunia. Unlike the rest of her team that were looking at him with disdain, Leonora had a look that was torn between a desire to battle and a completely different desire. The way she gripped her sword told him that answers would be forged on the battlefield. Kamito could feel his power stir within him as their eyes met. He knew that she would seek out him and his team quickly, so he would have to be prepared.

A team standing under a flag that Kamito didn't immediately recognise were trying to set Kamito ablaze with their looks alone. After a moment, it dawned on Kamito that they were the representatives from the Kingdom of Balstan. Realising this Kamito couldn't help but chuckle. Hearing his chuckle, Claire and Fianna sent him an inquisitive look. He nodded in the direction of the other team and they recognised the flag that the team was standing under and understanding dawned on them.

Before Kamito was able to continue his scan, a dark presence made itself known and heavy footsteps could be heard approaching. All eyes turned toward the heavy doors that had been opened to allow the blade dance participants to enter the courtyard. A group of hooded and cloaked individuals marched through the gate a moment later. Team Inferno had just arrived.

One by one, the members of Team Inferno removed their hoods and revealed themselves to the field. First was the fake Ren Ashbell, also known as Cardinal. She was still wearing the crimson mask, but was now wearing an outfit that largely resembled the outfit that the real Ren Ashbell had worn in the previous blade dance. As the commotion of her reveal died down, the next to remove their hood was Sjora Khan, followed by Muir, who waved excitedly to Kamito, and finally Lily, who nodded in acknowledgement to Kamito. After all the others had revealed themselves, another figure entered the courtyard. Dressed in pitch black armor and radiating foul tainted divine power, the Nepenthes Lore now completed Team Inferno.

"What ghastly power. I have never felt such an evil presence." Fianna whispered. With her training as a princess maiden, she was especially in tune with the nature of divine power.

Kamito was not fooled by the change in energy, he knew exactly who lay behind that black iron mask. His knuckles turned white he was clutching his fist so tightly. "Jio." Kamito growled causing several members of nearby teams to take a hesitant step backward. Shooting a glance at the other members of Team Inferno, Kamito noticed the look of disgust and irritation on the faces of Muir and Lily. When his eyes met Cardinal's, she gave an almost imperceptible shake of her head before her eyes shifted toward Sjora.

"Welcome maiden warriors to the blade dance. Today marks the beginning of the glorious ritual to find those that are worthy to gain audience with the great gods of this world. My your performances upon the field of combat please the Lords." One of the queens greeted the assembled elementalists.

Kamito felt a tap on his shoulder. "That's Reicha Alminas, she was my junior at the Divine Ritual Institute, and is the current queen for the Fire Elemental Lord, Volcanus." Fianna informed him.

"Do you think she has fallen to the corruption of the Otherworldly Darkness?" Kamito asked quietly.

"I don't believe so. I managed to talk to her shortly after we arrived and she didn't seem to be acting abnormally." Fianna whispered back.

"Do you think we can make her an ally in the fight against the Darkness?" Kamito asked after thinking on Fianna's words.

"I don't know, but if anyone of the queens were to join us, she would be the most likely candidate." Fianna answered.

Another Queen approached the balcony with two priestess maidens walking just behind her carrying incense burners. Kamito assumed that this had to be the queen for the Elemental Lord of the Wind, identified by her light blue vestments. The priestess maidens placed the burners on the railing on either side of the queen, then moved into position just behind her incase their assistance was required. A dark smoke wafted from the burners and the queen inhaled deeply. Her body swayed almost drunkenly for a few moments before she suddenly went rigid.

" _A storm approacheth, a maelstrom of clashing blades. Seek refuge and you shall be swept away. Take heart and forge onward and with the blessings of the Lords may you emerge victorious. The battlefield will be the Tempest."_ The queen collapsed into the waiting arms of the priestesses attending her. As the maidens assisted the stricken queen to her chambers, Riecha Alminas retook the dias.

"The layout for the Blade Dance is Tempest. Each team member shall be supplied with a special magic stone. The four teams with the most stones at the end of seven days shall be allowed to participate in the final round to be held at a predetermined location. If any participant is separated from their magic stone for more than one minute shall be considered defeated and with be teleported away from the battlefield. Removed team members are to be reunited with their team either when said team is eliminated or at the conclusion of this preliminary round. Good luck to all teams and may the odds be ever in your favor." The Fire Queen ended her speech and raised her hand in a signal to begin the tournament. Magic circles began to form under each team and one by one they transported to the wilds of Ragna Ys.

As the light from their teleportation faded, Kamito checked to make sure everyone had successfully made the jump. Looking around, Kamito sighed in relief that everyone have made it without a hitch.

"We need to set up our stronghold as soon as possible." Claire stated.

"Yes, I agree. Fianna, that will be your task. Velsaria, your earth affinity will be beneficial towards that end as well. Please accompany Fianna." Kamito directed. "Ellis, could you send out some wind spirit scouts and see if you can locate any of the other teams? Claire, if you would, we need the brush cleared to prevent anyone from using its cover to sneak up on us."

Fianna and Velsaria nodded and began work on setting up their stronghold. Luckily they had appeared near a stream, so water would not be an issue. Ellis began to concentrate on communicating with the local spirits to see what intelligence she could gather.

"What are you going to do, oh mighty leader." Claire said snippily.

"I am going to go gather supplies from the woods and see what kind of wildlife is present for us to eat." Kamito responded.

Accepting his answer, claire huffed as she summoned the flames of the Elsteins and began to burn away the brush, which Scarlet quickly lent her flames to the task.

Kamito followed his senses down a winding path to a clearing not far from where his team was setting up the stronghold.

"Halt, Demon King of the Night!" A slightly shaky voice called out.

Kamito sighed as he turned to face the voice. Standing there was the representative team from the Kingdom of Balstan. The five girls eyed him fearfully as their trembling hands reached for their waffes.

"Please, mr Demon, do not resist. We must bring back honor to our nation." A timid voice said not much louder than a whisper.

"I'm sorry, ladies, but that's just not possible. There's more at stake than just one prince's pride." Kamito replied sadly. Before any of the girls could react, Kamito seemed to vanish, reappearing on the opposite side of the clearing behind the girls.

"What speed." Gasped one of the girls as they turned to face him once again.

"How can anyone be that fast?" Another wondered out loud, her voice trembling slightly.

"Truly, I am sorry it had to end like this." Kamito sighed regretfully.

"Nothing is over yet, we can still fight!" The team leader shouted, trying to inspire her teammates.

Kamito shook his head. "I'm afraid it is over for you though." He said opening his hand, revealing five beautifully cut stones that exuded divide power.

"Impossible!" Cried out the leader as all the girls found their magic stones missing from their pouches. "How could one person be so powerful?" She despaired as magic circles appeared under each girl to teleport them away from the battlefield.

"My my, it almost seemed like you pitied those girls just now." A teasing voice carried on the wind accompanied with a few black feathers.

"Hello, Restia. I do feel bad that they will likely be punished for failing that arrogant prick of a prince." Kamito admitted.

"So the big bad Demon King has a soft spot, huh." Restia teased, running her hand down Kamito's chest.

"There is more to being a king than flaunting your power and strength." Kamito replied simply. "Besides, I have no desire to take that title."

"You could have quite the little harem if you did though." Restia commented. "You have several now that would be more than willing I bet. Just imagine the fun you can have taming the little hellcat for example."

"I have no desire to gather a harem, the only ones I desire are you, Iseria, and Est." Kamito insisted.

"You could have just stopped at me, why do you need those other spirits anyway." Restia cooed.

"We've been over this before." Kamito stated, looking pointedly at the darkness spirit.

"I know, I know." Restia sighed dramatically. "But what about your little queen candidate?"

"What are you talking about 'Queen candidate'? Kamito asked confused.

Before Restia could answer, a large explosion rocked the area. A large form swept in from over the trees and a lone figure leapt to the ground before a massive black dragon landed behind her.

"Well, speaking of the devil, or should I say dragon…" Restia said in a teasing tone. "Ta ta, lover boy." Restia placed a hand on Kamito's cheek and captured his lips with her own as she vanished in a flurry of feathers.

Feeling a sudden surge of divine power mixed with killer intent, Kamito was drawn back to the present, and one very irritated Leonora.

"Restia, you really suck."

 **Next chapter will begin the battles of the Blade Dance Prelims. Thank you for sticking with me and my erratic update schedule.**


	14. Chapter 14

**This chapter is slightly shorter than usual, but I hope that there is enough action to make up for the lack of length.**

"Stupid Kamito, stupid blade dance." Claire grumbled as she cut down another swath of brush with her fire whip. "Who put him in charge anyway?"

"Meow?" Scarlett mewed questioningly.

"I know he divided the tasks logically, but that's not the point." Claire responded.

"Mew?"

"Why her? Why only spirits? Doesn't he know that there are others that care for him too? Other that want to be cared for?" The redhead mumbled to herself.

Suddenly a shadow blotted out the sun. Surprised, Claire turned quickly to see a large dragon descending on her. Jumping to her left to avoid a fireball, Claire called for Scarlett. "Greetings Claire Rouge, or should I say; Claire Elstein, sister of the Calamity Queen. I am Yuri El Cid and I am here for your magic stone." A young woman called from the back of the dragon.

 **Line Break**

Velsaria was busy setting traps along the perimeter of their planned stronghold while Fianna worked on the ritual dance required to set up the magical barriers. Velsaria stiffened and prepared to call on her spirit when she heard a rustling in the brush. She relaxed slightly when she saw her sister emerge and start walking her way. "Ellis, is there something wrong?" Velsaria asked when she saw a perplexed look on her sister's face.

"I'm not sure. The wind spirits are restless, but I cannot find a reason." Ellis mentioned.

"Perhaps it is because of skirmishes taking place due to the blade dance." Velsaria pointed out.

"Maybe….I'm going to go see if Claire needs some help." Ellis said still bothered by the anxiety she felt from the wind spirits. A sudden explosion caught everyone's attention.

"That was from the direction Claire went!" Ellis exclaimed.

"Come on, let's go!" Velsaria directed as she summoned her spirit, Dreadnaught.

"You're not going anywhere." A voice called out from above them. From the brush, two ground dragons blocked their path while a flying dragon swooped in behind them. "Lady Leonora told us not to let you interfere."

 **Line Break**

"Hello, Leonora. Good to see you again." Kamito stated cordially.

"Don't think you can talk your way out of this, Demon King of the Night. Ever since I first laid eyes on you, i have had the strangest feelings. What is this sensation? I could not discover the answer on my own, so I will discover it using my blade. Ready yourself, today I will have my answer." Leonora placed her hand on the Great Dragon, Nidhogg, transforming it into her sword, the Dragon Slayer.

"Est, you ready?" Kamito asked the demon slayer.

"Yes Kamito." Est answered. 'Let's see if you are deserving of being by Kamito's side.' Est left unsaid as she assumed her strongest form. In Kamito's hands was a hand and a half sword with a single edge that gleamed in the sun.

Leonora smiled ferociously. She held her blade at the ready as Kamito assumed a defensive stance. Time seemed to slow down in anticipation. The wind died off, it was as though even the whole of Astral Zero was holding its breath for the fight to come. Kamito smirked to match Leonora's look. In an instant, everything resumed its normal pace. The ground under Leonora's feet exploded as she launched herself at Kamito, her sword held above her head. Kamito was slightly taken aback by her speed and just managed to raise Est in time to block her heavy swing. Pushing hard, Kamito was able to create some space between himself and the dragon princess. Ducking low, he charged at her with a slash to the side which Leonora jumped over. Kamito rolled to the side to avoid the gravity enhanced swing that stuck where he was just standing creating a large crater. Kamito quickly regained his feet and held Est slightly above his head angled down so he could attack or defend equally. Leonora took her time pulling her Dragon Slayer from the ground.

"You're better than I expected, but can you keep it up I wonder." Leonora grinned. She was truly enjoying herself, it wasn't often she could find someone that could match her in a fight. Her body was tingling in anticipation, her eyes smoldering as her blood pumped adrenaline through her system. She could feel the dragon blood wanting to take over, but she resisted it. She wanted to be the one in control, to be able to claim this victory for herself. While she didn't lose herself mentally, she could feel the effect of the blood surging through her, multiplying her strength and her senses.

"I have to admit I am rather enjoying myself right now." Kamito responded. "I have not faced an opponent such as yourself in sometime."

Leonora readied herself and charged in again, swinging her sword to the side only to be blocked by Est. Kamito used Leonora's momentum to redirect her strike upward and threw a punch at her midsection. Leonora continued her swing upward and used the weight of her sword to do a backflip, kicking Kamito in the chest. Landing, she slashed at his legs. Kamito leapt over her blade and performed a front flip twisting in midair to land behind her facing her and scoring a shallow strike to her back. Leonora rolled forward avoiding most of the damage of the strike. Spinning while she was on the ground, Leonora was able to sweep Kamito's legs from under him.

"Yes! Make my blood boil! Show me my reason for existing!" Leonora shouted, finally losing herself to the effect of her blood. Kamito leapt back to avoid a wild slash.

 **With Claire**

Claire's uniform was slightly singed and torn in several places from dodging blasts of dragonfire from Yuri's dragon spirit, Lyndwurm. Claire had quickly discovered that the dragon was impervious to her fire magic, which put her at a serious disadvantage. She noticed though that the Dracunian knight was keeping her from heading in the direction that Kamito had gone, but was not stopping her from working her way back towards the location of her team's stronghold. She figured that the other members of the dragon knights must be in that direction, but if she could meet back up with her team, they might be able to formulate a plan to counter the dragons.

Claire knew that currently her highest priority was to get Yuri on the ground some how. As long as the dragon was airborne, there was nothing Claire could do. A sudden explosion behind her caught Claire off guard. Knocked forward and stumbling to the ground, Claire had to quickly roll out of the way of another breath of dragonfire. Spitting out the short list of expletives that she knew, Claire realized why Yuri had allowed her to move towards her camp; they had placed traps in the ground to catch her unaware. Feeling rage overwhelm her, Claire didn't notice the shift in color of the flames on her waffe, or the aura of flames starting to surround her.

Yuri paused momentarily at the color shift, but not knowing what it meant, continued with her attack. She smirked as the wave of dragonfire engulfed the redheaded elementalist. 'Too easy.' Yuri thought as she descended to claim Claire's magic stone as her prize. She didn't see the arc of vermilion flames coming towards her until it was too late.

Claire couldn't understand it, but the instant she saw the incoming inferno, she stood her ground. Holding out her hand, she summoned forth a wall of vermilion flames which consumed the dragon's attack. Still in a state of shock from what she had just done, Claire looked at her hand and marveled at the beautiful red hue of the flames she helf there. Seeing a shadow descending, Claire snapped back to reality, this was the moment she had been waiting on. A quick snap of her arm sent Flametongue arcing towards its target. Feeling the whip wrap around the dragon's neck, Claire sent a wave of her new flames eliciting a scream of pain from the spirit.

Yuri tumbled to the ground as her contracted spirit fell from the sky. Slightly dazed from the fall, yuri saw something that she didn't think was possible; a severe burn around her spirit's neck. Placing her hand on the dragon's flank, Yuri whispered. "You did good, Lyndwurm. Please, lend me your strength for just a little longer. I'll make that bitch pay for causing you pain." Lyndwurm started to glow and when the light faded, Yuri was holding a long shaft in her hands with a large intricately designed blade at one end and a small dragon's head at the other.

"You surprised me, Claire Elstein. But that will not happen again. Meet Lyndwurm's waffe, Flamecleaver." Yuri spun her halberd expertly around to hold it in a ready stance, heat emanating from the blade creating a shimmer as it moved.

Claire could feel her divine power draining quickly, her new form taxing her greatly. She knew she had to end this soon or she would be done for.

 **With Velsaria, Ellis, and Fianna**

"Tsch." Velsaria considered their position. Fianna was not much of a combatant, leaving her and Ellis to hold off the three dragons. By catching them in a pincer move, the Knights of the Dragon Emperor held the advantage. "Ellis! Use your waffe to hold off those ground dragons. Fianna, can you persuade the wind spirits to assist us with this flying dragon?" Velsaria took command as she landed Dreadnaught on the ground.

"Got it!" Ellis confirmed summoning Ray Hawk.

"I'll see what I can do." Fianna answered as she retrieved a ceremonial fan from her waistband.

"Go forth and rampage!" Ellis shouted, launching a myriad of wind blades at the two dragons on the ground. She knew that she would not be able to hold them off for long by herself, she just had to hope she could last long enough for help to arrive.

Velsaria kept up a constant volley of blasts at the airborne dragon to keep it off balance until Fianna was able to complete her dance. Looking at her sister, Velsaria could tell Ellis was struggling to keep the other two dragons at bay. "Ellis! Switch with me!"

"Got it aneue!" Ellis slid under the hulking form of Velsaria's Dreadnaught, using her Ray Hawk to vault into the air. "Oh Wind, sweep away mine enemies: Wind Bombs!" Ellis incanted, gathering a mass of wind one the tip of her spear and launching it at the airborne dragon and its rider. The large ball of air split into many smaller, fist sized balls as it approached its target. The Dragon rider smirked confidently, how could these small spheres do anything if the myriad of cannon blasts from Velsaria were ineffective. The Dracunian knight was taken off guard when the blasts from the scattered spheres blew her clean off her mount. She landed hard on the ground, her vision swimming from having the wind knocked out of her lungs by the impact. Her dragon fell nearby, disoriented by the overpressure of the wind bombs.

Velsaria barely noticed the damage done by her sister as she engaged the two dragons on the ground. The right arm of her spirit had morphed into a lance and she was able to hold her ground while Fianna performed her ritual.

"Velsaria, Ellis! Find something to anchor to!" Fianna called out as she finished her spell. Quickly grabbing onto a clump of trees, Fianna secured herself with her sash. Feeling the wind starting to pick up, Ellis stabbed her spear into the ground, managing to strike a root and used wind magic to bind herself to her spear. Velsaria used her natural earth affinity to anchor herself to the ground, a task made easier by the fact that Dreadnaught was a fortress type spirit. The dragon riders were not as fortunate, the fallen flying dragon and rider being blown away by the sudden gale and her team mates struggling to keep hold of their mounts. As the wind died down, the dragon knights knew that they were in a bad position.

"Fall back and regroup!" The rider of the flying dragon ordered as she climbed to her perch on her dragon. Taking to the air, she tried to assess the situation. Using hand signals she directed the other two to try and circle around to attack Team Dark Tides' flanks.

Velsaria saw the two ground dragons splitting up and knew they were going to try a three pronged attack. "Ellis, watch your right! One is trying to circle around that way!" Velsaria warned as she tracked the one circling towards Fianna. Fianna, we're going to have to use that."

"Are you sure, it's still just the first day and besides, Kamito isn't around to see it." Fianna whined.

"Would you rather explain to him why you lost your magic stone?" Velsaria snapped.

"Fine, I got it." Fianna huffed. Closing her eyes and holding her arms out, Fianna started. ""Thou, servant of the king of the child of man, knight and master swordsman, Thou shalt be my sword, thou shalt be my shield, with unlimited towering light, purify and exorcise those belonging to darkness. Its appellation reads thus, Save the Queen!" An ethereal silver glow emanated from the princess, a swirl of wind taking shape in her right hand and a tiara appearing on her head. As the glow died down, Fianna was holding an intricately detailed rapier in a ready stance.

'The Fallen Queen has a waffe? What powers does it have?" The knight on the flying dragon paused in her attack, hesitating at the new development.

"You have a sword?" Ellis asked incredulously.

"I may not be able to use a sword in combat, but this is the power of my waffe." Fianna said as she thrust the rapier into the ground. A glowing circle radiated from the point where she had stabbed the ground to encompass Ellis and Velsaria. Both girls could immediately feel a surge of divine power as Fianna's influence extended to them.

The leader of the attack party felt the surge in diving power coming from their targets and knew that continuing would be futile, so she ordered a hasty retreat. "You have the field this time, but we'll be the ones standing at the end of the day!" she called out as she flew in the direction of their camp.

As soon as the two ground dragons were out of sight, Fianna released her waffe and immediately collapsed on the ground breathing heavily. Ellis and Velsaria rushed to her side.

"Ellis, Kamito can handle himself, go assist Claire." Velsaria directed, assisting Fianna to her feet.

"Yes, Aneue." Ellis bowed quickly and took to the air using her flight magic in the direction Claire had been fighting.

 **With Claire**

Yuri charged at Claire, her halberd extended in front of her aimed to pierce Claire's chest. Claire rolled to the side and snapped her whip in an attempt to snare Yuri's feet. Yuri jumped over the whip and jammed the end her halberd in the ground, allowing the whip to encircle its shaft. Using the shaft as a springboard, Yuri launched herself at Claire, trying to take the redhead's head off with a spinning kick. Claire gave her whip a tug and attempted to skewer Yuri with her own weapon. Yuri, expecting the move, ducked low, allowing her halberd to pass over her toward a slightly surprised Claire. Claire ducked as well, but didn't see the left hook that Yuri threw until it was too late. Yuri's punch connected just under Claire's ribcage, knocking the wind out of her and doubling her over. Yuri went to drop her elbow down on Claire's neck, but Claire was able to barely avoid the strike by slipping to the side.

Claire took several ragged gasps trying to catch her breath as Yuri retrieved her weapon and resumed her attack. Holding her whip bundled up, Claire waited till the last second before striking the blade of the polearm away from her and formed a fireball in her free hand, placing against Yuri's side and searing the other girl's uniform and the skin beneath. Yuri continued her swing, wincing at the pain from the burn, in a wide arc and striking Claire's back, sending the small girl sprawling on the ground

Claire rolled to the side to avoid the quickly descending axe head of the halberd and jumped back to her feet putting some distance between her and the dragon knight.

"You're better than I expected, Claire Elstein." Yuri complimented.

Claire was in trouble and she knew it. Her breathing was labored and her abdominal muscles still hurt from that divine power charged punch. Yuri charged once more just to stop in mid stride as several blades of wind crashed into the ground in front of her. Ellis landed near Claire, and after a quick check on her teammate, assumed a ready stance against Yuri.

'Tsk, looks like those three failed to defeat their targets.' Yuri grumbled in her mind.

Ellis positioned herself next to Claire. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. Any word from Kamito?" Claire asked breathing heavy.

"Not since we split up earlier." Ellis responded.

"Let's end this quickly, he may need some help." Claire stated.

"Right." Ellis nodded with determination. "Oh Wind, Sweep away mine enemies: Wind Bombs!" Ellis swung Ray Hawk in a wide arc, dispersing several spheres of wind energy at Yuri.

"You're going to have to do better than that!" The dragon knight said confidently.

"Dance, oh crimson flame that calls upon destruction: Hell Blaze!" Claire cast the strongest spell she could, which when impacting with Ellis's wind bombs, detonated, causing a ripple effect. Yuri was slammed on all sides by the flames and overpressure, her body obscured by smoke and dust.

"Think we got her?" Ellis asked.

"I hope so, I'm almost on empty." Claire admitted.

As the dust cleared, they could see Yuri still standing, albeit with the help of her waffe. Her uniform was in tatters, bare skin visible in the absence of undergarments. Breathing heavily, Yuri stood tall and started spinning her halberd over her head. "I had hope to save this for the finals, but your two have forced my hand."

 **With Kamito**

Leonora charged at Kamito bringing her sword down in an overhead swing. Kamito stepped in closer and blocked the swing with Est and was almost taken off guard when a narrow beam of energy shot at him from the pummel of her waffe. The beam seared through the sleeve of his uniform, just grazing the skin leaving a burn. Pouring divine energy into her Dragon Slayer, Leonora attempted to overpower the young demon king. Kamito could actually fee his arm tremble from exertion trying to hold her off. If the situation were not so intense, he would have admired her strength. He could feel himself being overwhelmed by the dark powers of the sixth elemental lord as they reacted to Leonora's spiritual pressure. Kamito shook his head a few times to try and maintain control and pivoted out of the way of Leonora's blade as it crashed into the ground causing her to overbalance slightly.

Darkness was clouding Kamito's vision and he could feel his control slipping when a small hand cupped his cheek. Looking down, Est had taken her human form and was staring at him, concern in her eyes. Seeing her looking at him like that made him pause.

At that same moment the seal over his heart glowed and kamito could hear Iseria's voice. "Take control over the power, don't let it control you. Just as you are the new Demon King, make this power your own."

Kamito smiled. "Thank you Iseria." Opening his eyes, he smiled at Est. "Thank you Est, for everything. Now what do you say we end this?"

"Yes Kamito." Est responded in her monotone, but he could see a light dusting of pink on her cheeks.

"Twin fangs!" Est took the form of the twin swords. "Hado 11: Tsuzuri Raiden!" Electricity arced along both blades as Kamito sprang toward Leonora. She was able to dodge the first couple of slashes, but a lucky graze was enough to stun her long enough for Kamito to strike the back of her neck with the flat of his blade, knocking her temporarily unconscious. As soon as kamito confirmed that Leonora was incapacitated and that she was not seriously injured from the attack, Est resumed her human form as Kamito gently lifted Leonora's body off the hard battle worn ground and carried her to the tree line where he propped her against the trunk of a tree. A few moments later, the dragon princess opened her eyes and was shocked to find Kamito and Est standing guard over her a few feet away.

"Why?" Leonora asked.

"Why what?" Kamito asked in return.

"Why didn't you take my magic stone and eliminate me from the competition?"

"Because I enjoyed our fight, and out of respect for your abilities, would like a rematch. Let us continue this another time, I want to battle you at your best, not under the influence of your dragon blood." Kamito offered a hand to Leonora, who accepted after a moment's hesitation. The moment their hands touched, Kamito had a vision of Leonora in ceremonial garb standing in front of a shrine that he didn't recognize. Shaking his head, he decided that consider what that meant later.

"I will retreat for now, but remember, you owe me a fight so don't go getting eliminated before then." Leonora picked up her Dragon Slayer which morphed back into the dragon, Nidhogg.

"I'll be sure to remember that." Kamito assured as she took flight and retreated.

 **With Claire and Ellis**

Yuri stopped preparing her attack, standing stunned for a moment. "Lady Leonora….lost?" Knowing that she stood no chance against the combined might of Team Dark Tides alone, she decided to retreat and regroup with her team. Tossing Flamecleaver into the air, the halberd changed back into Lyndwurm and swooped down to pick up its master. Yuri leapt into the air and landed on her perch at the base of the dragon's neck as it took to the skies in the direction of their base.

"It's over." Claire sighed as she collapsed to the ground. The fight had taken a serious toll on her, but she held her head proud. She had used the true flames of the Elstein's, the End of Vermilion.

"We should head back to the stronghold, I'm sure Kamito will join us there soon." Ellis insisted, assisting Claire to her feet.

"Yes, let's go." Claire agreed, looking forward to getting some rest.

 **That's the end of Chapter 14. This was actually an interesting chapter to write, I hope it was just as enjoyable to read. Next chapter will involve battles between several more teams as well as having a few unforeseen turns. Thank you for reading and have a good day.**


	15. Chapter 15

**First off, I am sorry about how long it has taken me to update this story. Between family concerns and the busy season at work, writing unfortunately had to take a back seat. Work has slowed down and I have dealt with the family concerns to the best of my ability, so I can now find more time to dedicate to my writing. I thank everyone still following my stories for their patience. This chapter took is a bit shorter than my normal chapters, but I wanted to try and focus a bit on another team as well as set up future chapters.**

The leaves rustled quietly in the breeze while two elementalists followed the directions of a third as they constructed what looked like an elaborate shrine, especially considering the setting. The maiden giving the directions was holding an intricately carved staff and was standing atop a raised platform. "We must hurry, we need to complete the shrine before our location is discovered."

"Yes, princess. Soon all will feel the wrath of the forest." One of the girls declared.

Moving silently through the forest undergrowth, a member of Team Shadow Stalkers moved into position. Peering over the sights of her waffe, Arianna smiled to herself. "Thank you for making yourself so accessible." She whispered to herself.

Haruka moved silently through the shadows of the undergrowth looking for her target. Her assigned target was the carapace user. Knowing she was an ambush specialist, Haruka looked for areas of disturbed ground. Seeing a promising site, Haruka waited for a signal to attack.

Jacqueline, or Jack as she preferred, was not as stealthy as some of her other teammates, so she elected for a more direct method. She was cautiously working her way down a path with Inari in a partially summoned form. Floating around her were nine balls of foxfire ready for her disposal. Suddenly a bolt of blue lightning shot from the bushes that was intercepted by one of the fireballs. Casting her hand in the direction of the bushes, two fireballs spiraled towards the hidden attacker forcing her to jump from her hiding place. Jack grinned as she saw that the other elementalist had a similar spirit as hers in the form of a few lightning bolts awaiting her command.

The opposing elementalist thrust her hand forward launching a bolt of lightning at Jack, but it was once again intercepted by the foxfire. Seeing her attack blocked so easily, the other girl started to back away slowly, looking for a distraction so she could escape. A loud explosion from some distance away seemed to provide that distraction, so she bolted for the safety of her team's stronghold.

While the explosion was unexpected, Jack was knowingly allowing the other girl to escape into a trap of their own.

Arianna used the explosion to start her attack. With the three elementalists distracted, she steadied her aim and fired. The druid princess never saw the shot coming as she was launched of the shrine platform.

"Princess!" The other two screamed as their team leader hit the ground. Suddenly the shadows started to move and take form. Both girls tried to summon their spirits, but were unable to before they were overwhelmed by the shadows. Drained of their divine power and stripped of their magic stones, it was only a matter of time before they would be teleported back to the safe area.

The lightning user knew that she was being followed by that girl with the fire, but felt confident she could make it to her team in time to get backup. Seeing a disturbed section of ground, she smirked and lead Jack to where she knew her teammate lay in wait.

Haruka saw movement from up the trail and soon spotted the lightning user running as fast as she could. Knowing Jack was probably not far behind, she readied herself. As soon as Jack neared the clearing, she dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding a pair of pincers that shot from the ground.

"Ha! I almost had you!" The carapace elementalist jeered, emerging from her hiding place in the ground. She didn't see her teammate, the lightning elementalist, vanish into the foliage behind her. Jack directed several balls of foxfire to strike the carapace user, but they had little effect.

"Give it up, my spirit has a high resistance to fire attacks."

Haruka waited till both elementalists had their attention on Jack to make her move. The lightning girl was the closer of the two, so she whipped out with the ball end of her kusari-gama, wrapping her with the chain and yanked her into the foliage and knocked her out quickly. After retrieving the magic stone, Haruka stalked up behind the carapace elementalist slashed through her armor. The girl opened her mouth in a silent scream as her body slumped forward from the shock of the hit. Luckily for her, waffes that are only partially summoned cause no physical damage. Jack happily walked over and retrieved the magic stone from the fallen elementalist and started whistling a shanty as she walked away.

Team Shadow Stalkers met back up at their stronghold where Kristina was currently using her earth magic to reinforce their makeshift base. "Good work team!" Misty congratulated as everyone gathered together. "That's one less team in the finals and one step closer to getting our wish!"

"Hey Haruka, where are you going?" Misty asked when she saw her teammate heading back into the forest.

"I'm going to scout out and see if I can locate any of the other teams." Haruka stated in a monotone.

"...Okay, be careful." Misty consented. She could tell something was wrong, but decided to wait until they had some privacy to discuss it properly. Walking back into their camp, Misty spotted one of her new teammates relaxing against a tree stroking the red-gold fur of a multi-tailed fox.

"Hey boss, what's up?" Jack asked without opening her eyes.

"It's nothing. Just thinking." Misty responded as she headed for her tent.

"Jack, I've been meaning to ask you something." Kristina said with a heavy accent after Misty had left.

"Shoot." Jack acknowledged.

"I was curious why you answer to a boy's name. It is strange to me." Kristina commented.

"Oh, that." Jack laughed. "It was a nickname my father gave me when I was born just to irritate my mother. The name just kind of stuck and is so much easier to say than Jacqueline." Jack revealed.

"Your father wanted you to be a boy?" Kristina asked.

"No, he was happy to have a girl. He just loved to do things that would get under my mother's skin. My family has always been like that. They love to have fun and joke with each other." Jack smiled as she thought about her crazy family.

"You must have an interesting family." Kristina commented.

"They are definitely that." Jack laughed. "So what about your family?"

Kristina sighed and looked away. "My family is gone. I am all that is left after a coup removed my father from power from our territory shortly after the incident with the Calamity Queen four years ago. My father supported the Elstein family and that angered many in our country. He did not believe that the Elstein family should be held accountable for the actions of the eldest daughter. I was able to survive because a family servant was able to hide me from the mobs."

"I'm sorry that I brought up such a painful subject." Jack said sincerely.

"No, it is not your fault. I miss my family dearly, but I know that I will see them again one day."

"Is that what you are going to wish for?" Jack asked.

"Yes, I want to wish to bring my family back. I don't know if that is even possible, but I have to try." Kristina confirmed. "By the way, what is your wish?"

"Don't know yet." Jack shrugged. "I just thought this would be fun." Kristina had a hard time grasping that someone would compete in something as important as the blade dance just because they thought it would be fun. She excused herself went to check on her barriers.

 **############Line Break####################**

Haruka moved silently through the shadows. She knew that Misty could sense something was bothering her, and knew she would eventually have to talk to her team about it. That one elementalist from the Alphas, the one dressed as a black knight, disturbed her greatly for some reason. There was something unnatural about her, something darker than any shadow she had ever encountered. She was just about to turn around and head back to camp when she heard a disturbance not too far from her location. Curious, she went to investigate. If it were a battle, she could see who was victorious and also gain information about their powers and abilities. Creeping out onto a branch, Haruka was shocked by what she was witnessing.

In a clearing, the team from Rossvale was in a desperate fight for their place in the blade dance. Pursuing them was the Black Knight from Team Inferno of the Alphas Theocracy.

"We must use it!" One of the rupture girls insisted.

"No, we need a trump card against the strongest blade dancer!" Another argued.

"If we don't use it, we will not get the chance to even see her!" The first continued.

Realizing the truth behind the claim, the second elementalist gave in. "Very well. Milla, it's time!"

"I understand." A young girl said stepping forward to confront the black knight. " **Noble minded knights of the Sacred King, your sword exists to vanquish the strong and protect the weak. Gather upon my battlefield, to swing that sword without reservation: Crusaders!** "

A bright golden light emitted from the girl's left eye as numerous golden magic circles appeared on the ground. Golden knights emerged from the magic circles wielding a multitude of shining weaponry. The three remaining members of the rupture division began to chant in the spirit language in an attempt to direct and control the summoned spirit.

"He hehe hehehehe…." An unearthly laugh came from the dark spectre that was pursuing them stunning the elementalists. Suddenly a pool of inky blackness spread from the black knight until it had engulfed all the magic circles that the knights of light were emanating from. " **Black Hole!** " Milla and the other girls suddenly felt an intense pull from the darkness. All the shining knights were swallowed instantly as well os one elementalist that was too close to react in time. Milla covered her eye and halted the summoning to prevent more of the knights from becoming swallowed. The pull the girls felt was becoming stronger and they felt themselves being drawn into the void as well.

"Milla, you must escape!" The girls that had initially argued against using her power insisted, pushing her towards the brush as she slipped on the grass and was sucked into the growing darkness. Milla scrambled to her feet and ran as fast as she could in an attempt to get away from that monstrosity.

" **Liberation!** " A shower of debris was released from the pool of darkness as well as the bodies of the three unconscious members of the Rupture Division. With the removal of their magic stones, they were shortly teleported back to the safety of the arena they had started in. The black knight looked in the direction of the fleeing Milla Bassett, then turned its visage to a shadowy bunch of branches.

Haruka knew that she was in trouble the instant she saw the Black knight on the battlefield. She watched silently from the cover of the leaves as the one sided battle took place. She felt her heart stop when the knight focused its gaze upon her hiding place. She slid into a shadow in an attempt to escape, but found herself face to face with a male she didn't recognize shrouded in what appeared to be an armor of shadowy flames.

Jio smirked at the trembling girl in front of him. Here in the world of shadows, Jio might as well have been king. "I see you." Forcefully grabbing her shoulders so she could not flee or even turn away, Jio brought her close and looked her in the eyes. "I have a mission for you…." Jio opened his mouth and a dark mist poured forth and snaked into Haruka's mouth and nose. Her struggles suddenly ceased and her eyes took on a glazed look.

 **#######################Line Break############################**

Floating above the trees a young girl floated upon wings of black feathers. Restia watched in interest as the Nepenthes Lore decimated the team from Rossvale. 'Hmm….Jio is becoming more powerful than I had anticipated. I'll have to keep an eye on his progress.' With a smirk. "Kamito, soon you shall awaken and take your proper place in this world."

Seeing the Nepenthes Lore stop his pursuit of the final member from the Rossvale team, she detected a presence trying to hide in the shadows. Restia could feel the transfer of some of the otherworldly darkness into the maiden. 'What are you up to Jio?' Restia pondered. She watched as the black knight turned and stalked back into the forest, presumably on the hunt for another team to wipe out.

 **#############Line Break#####################**

Haruka awoke a short time later with a start and leapt to her feet taking a defensive stance. Looking around and not seeing anyone around, she tried to remember what had happened. She remembered watching the Rupture Division being obliterated, and the black knight staring at her, but everything else was a blur. Checking herself over, Haruka found no injuries or signs of being violated, she decided to head back to camp and share her observations with her team.

After gaining her bearings, she hurried back to her team's sanctuary. She stopped at the edge of the boundary that had been set up so she could utter a short chant in the spirit language that would allow her safe entry into the camp. She found Misty and the rest of the team waiting for her around the central campfire.

"So, did you find….What happened? You look like you have seen a demon spirit or something." Misty commented with concern.

"The Rupture Division from Rossvale was all but defeated by that black knight from the Alphas." Haruka started before relaying all that she had witnessed. She left out the part about the black knight spotting her and the blank in her memory for now. She would find Misty later and tell her about that in private.

"It's hard to believe that a single elementalist has the power to wipe out an entire team like that. We need to avoid running into anyone from that team if possible. Not only do they have that black knight, but they also have Ren Ashbell with them. It might be a good idea to find someone to ally with to take them on. Our best bet is to team up with Kamito's team." Misty dictated.

"Are you sure that's why you want to team up with them?" Jack teased.

"Hey! The guy is wicked strong and has a powerful team. The fact that he is good looking is beside the point." Misty defended unconvincingly.

"Who should we send to set up the meeting?" Kristina asked.

"Me of course. I'm the team leader, so it is my responsibility to meet with him." Misty announced.

"You just want to try and get him alone. I think we should send someone who doesn't have any ulterior motives." Arianna stated.

"That's not fair!..." Misty pouted.

"I'll go." Haruka offered quietly.

"I agree. Haruka is the best at stealth, so she would have the easiest time getting to their stronghold without being discovered." Arianna concurred.

"Umm….Does anyone know where his stronghold is?" Jack asked. The girls looked at each other and realized that none of them knew where Team Dark Tides, or any other team for that matter, were currently located.

"What about having a spirit deliver the request?" Kristina offered. A spirit would have an easier time locating another team than they would. Misty agreed and quickly wrote out the request. She summoned a shadow spirit and instructed it to find Kamito and sent it off with the message.

After dinner, the girls retired to their tents to get as much rest as they could. In the dark of the night, a solitary figure slipped out of her tent and paid a visit to each of her slumbering teammates. A dark mist could be seen escaping from each of the visited tents that night.

 **That concludes Chapter 15. I know it was a bit short, but I needed a setup for the upcoming chapters. Thank you for your continued interest in my story and stay tuned for what comes next.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hello readers. I know, I know, it has been a while. I promise that this story will not be abandoned and will eventually reach its conclusion, although I am not sure when that will be. I hope you enjoy.**

Kamito was relaxing in his tent when a few of the spirits protecting the boundary of the stronghold alerted everyone of a breech. Coming out of his tent quickly, he found a dark spirit skirting the shadows heading in his direction. Upon reaching him, it produced a scroll before melting back into the shadows.

"What's that?" Fianna asked having seen the spirit deliver its message.

Kamito finished reading the message then looked up to see his whole team watching him. "It's from Team Shadow Stalkers. They are wanting to meet to discuss an alliance."

"It could be a trap." Velsaria warned.

"Yes, I've considered that." Kamito agreed. "They said they have some information to use as a bargaining chip."

"We could set an ambush of our own, just in case it is a trap." Velsaria suggested. "I think we should at least find out what they think is important enough to coax us into an alliance."

"I agree. They specified a location and time to meet. I'll send a reply that we agree to meet with them. Velsaria, you and Ellis leave out early and scout the area. Then find cover and wait for any signs of trouble. Your long range attacks can support us if needed. Claire and I will attend the meeting. Fianna, watch over the stronghold in case they try to attack while we are occupied." Kamito directed.

The girls accepted their roles and the group broke up to go to their respective tents to rest for the coming day.

In the predawn darkness, Velsaria and Ellis slipped silently out of the camp. Their movements were not completely unobserved though. A whiff of smoke dissipated as a shadow familiar returned to its master to alert her of the activity.

Inside the dark armor of Nepenthes Lore, Jio waited for word that Kamito was on the move. He was not surprised when the shadows stirred and Haruka appeared. Vacant eyes stared at the ground as she knelt before the dark knight. "Velsaria and Ellis Fahrengart have been spotted leaving their stronghold in route to the site. No movement from the others yet."

"Very well. Watch those two and prevent them from interfering when I attack that fake Demon King. If you perform well, I may just have to keep you around." Jio laughed as he leered at the young girl. He already had plans for what he would do with these young women after they had served their purpose.

Haruka nodded and quietly departed to watch the Fahrengart sisters.

"So, you don't even trust those from your precious school, huh? Oh well, just gives me more pawns to play with."

Velsaria and Ellis quickly found the clearing that the leader from Team Shadow Stalkers had designated. "Seems quiet, but don't let your guard down."

"Of course, big sister." After inspecting the perimeter, Velsaria used her earth magic to search for hidden dangers while Ellis communicated with wind spirits to alert them of anyone approaching. Satisfied that the area was safe, Velsaria directed Ellis to a thicket not far from the meeting spot while she hid in the tree canopy where she could have a clear shot with Dreadnaught's cannons if worse came to worse.

Deciding that Velsaria was the greater threat, Haruka took up surveillance on the Silent Fortress from the shadows. She had informed Misty that the two sisters were taking up positions near the clearing. It was a few hours after sunrise when Kamito and Claire departed for the meeting, leaving Fianna to defend the camp. Misty directed Kristina to attack Fianna while the rest of the team accompanied her to confront Kamito. Something in the back of her mind was screaming that this was wrong, but the control of the Otherworldly Darkness was too strong for her to overcome.

Jio's plan was fairly simple, he knew that this team was not capable of defeating Kamito, but he would have to expend a fair amount of divine power to defeat them without harming them. While he was recovering, Jio would make his move and defeat Kamito himself. Kamito's defeat would be beneficial in more ways than one. The Otherworldly Darkness was well aware that Ren Ashbell was actually the Calamity Queen, Rubia Elstein. Kamito's death would mean the disqualification of Team Inferno, effectively removing Rubia's chances of gaining an audience with the Elemental Lords.

Kamito and Claire were approaching the clearing when he saw movement ahead. Standing in the middle of the clearing was Misty Lochardt, but something felt off. She was smiling, but her eyes seemed vacant. Suddenly a snap drew their attention to their rear. Jacqueline "Jack" Mallory stepped out of the trees holding a pair of dueling pistols. Her eyes had the same hollow look to them as she approached.

"Get ready, Claire." Kamito whispered as his hand rested on Est's pummel. " _Est, can you sense anyone else?"_

" _Yes, Kamito. One is near Velsaria and the other is in the trees behind us. Ellis is unconscious in the brush behind Misty. Their power is tainted. I think that they are being controlled by the Otherworldly Darkness."_ Est informed Kamito.

Kamito nodded, he had thought as much. So they knocked Ellis out, but have not taken her magic stone yet seeing as though she has not vanished from the battlefield yet. " _Can you free them from the control?"_

" _Yes, but I have to be in contact with them for it to work."_ Est confirmed.

'Easier said than done.' Kamito grimaced. He knew that this would not be an easy fight.

"We are here, Darkness. What do you want?" Kamito called out to Misty. Claire looked at him in confusion.

"What are you talking about, Kamito? Who is this Darkness?" The Darkness asked innocently through Misty.

"Cut the crap, I could sense your energy from half a league away. Why did you posses these girls?"

*zazazazaza* "Hehehe." A black miasma coalesced from the shadows taking the form that Kamito had seen earlier on the airship. "My my, how observant we have become. This was actually not my idea, but that of my servant. _He_ thought that it would make a rather convenient trap. I think I'll just watch and see how things play out."

As the shadowy figure faded from view, Kamito readied himself for the coming conflict. Suddenly Kamito shoved Claire to the side as a bolt of compressed lightning passed where she was just standing. Using the distraction, Misty summoned her shadow legion spirit and disappeared into the darkness. A commotion in the tree tops drew everyone's attention as Dreadnaught burst into sight as Velsaria dodged an attack from Haruka who had struck from the shadows. Arianna took careful aim and fired at the Silent Fortress, but her shot merely ricocheted off Velsaria's armor.

Kamito drew Est and started dispatching the shadow spirits summoned by Misty while Arianna was currently leaping from branch to branch avoiding cannon blasts from Dreadnaught who was hovering well about the battlefield. Haruka leapt from the branch she was on wrapping the chain of her kusari gama around one of the legs of Dreadnaught causing the massive spirit to drop just low enough that the Misty's shadow spirits could grab the chain, grounding Velsaria. She could feel her divine power being sapped away until the spirits were cut apart by Claire's whip, flametongue.

"Thanks." Velsaria said quickly as she blasted Jack with one of her cannons, launching the elementalist into the woods. Kamito leapt off Velsaria's shoulder, intercepting Haruka's attack. Haruka slipped back into the shadows to flank Kamito's team again. Claire, distracted by the multitude of shadow spirit, she didn't see the bolt of electricity that struck her in the knee.

"Kyaa!" Claire cried out as she dropped to her knees. She quickly rolled out of the way of a shadow spirit that popped up near her. Claire's yelp of pain roused Ellis who had been knocked out by a well placed shot from Arianna's waffe before Kamito and Claire had arrived. Quickly gaining her bearing Ellis called forth her waffe, Ray Hawk.

" _Est, have you located Jio yet?"_ Kamito asked the sword spirit. He hoped that if he took out the dark knight that his hold over the girls would be broken.

" _Yes, he is northwest of here not too far."_ Est confirmed after a moment.

" _Let's go."_ Kamito said to Est. "Velsaria, you girls handle things here! I'm going to take care of the one pulling their strings!" Kamito shouted before running after Jio.

"Got it!" Velsaria responded.

"Evil winds, go and rampage!" Ellis called out launching blades of wind causing Arianna to leap from her hiding spot. Taking advantage of her exposure, Velsaria was able to score a direct hit on Arianna, taking her out of the fight.

Haruka sprang from a shadow from behind Ellis and slashed her across the back. While painful, it was not enough to disable Ellis, but Haruka was able to disappear back into the shadows before Ellis could counter.

Ellis had to roll aside to avoid a fireball fired by Jack who had recovered from the blast she had been hit with. Velsaria took aim on Jack again, but her aim was thrown off when Haruka wrapped the chain of her kusari gama around a cannon and pulled hard.

"Evil winds, go and rampage!" Ellis cut the chain with her wind blades. Claire swung flametongue, dispelling another swath of shadow spirits.

Seeing movement out of the corner of her eye, Claire raised her hand. "Devour, oh crimson searing fireball!" Claire intercepted Jack's attack with a fireball of her own. Claire winced in pain as a blade struck her in the shoulder. Haruka stepped from a shadow ready to give the finishing blow but was interrupted.

"Oh wind, sweep away mine enemies - Wind mines!" Ellis launched several spheres at Haruka. The spheres exploded all around Haruka, buffeting her in a maelstrom of wind magic. Haruka barely managed to slip into the protection of the shadows. Disoriented, she had to spend a few moments out of the fray. Claire, still on the ground was suddenly besieged by many shadow spirits, she could feel her divine power being drained away until Ellis was able to drive them away. Velsaria was firing at Jack who just danced around the cannon blasts. Her attacks amounted to nothing against Dreadnaught's heavy armor.

Velsaria could feel her own power diminishing bit by bit with each shadow that managed to get past her defenses. This was turning into a battle of attrition. "Claire, get up! Ellis, cover her!"

Claire was dazed. Her vision swam and sounds slurred together. Suddenly a voice reached her ears. "Master, you need to get up." Claire looked for the voice. It was not a voice she had heard before, but one that she instinctively knew. "Master, please…." Through the muddled colors, a small red cat became visible. "Call my name and I will serve you." Claire was confused. What was Scarlet talking about? And since when could she talk? Suddenly a name tickled her mind.

"Or-Ortlinde…." Claire weakly whispered. The battle raging around them suddenly stilled. A red flash temporarily blinded everyone, the shadow spirits being washed away. The light faded and standing next to Claire stood a feminine figure cloaked in a short red dress that appeared to be composed of flames. Out of her flaming red hair stood a pair of cat ears. Her tail flicked back and forth in agitation.

"Sc-Scarlet?" Claire asked with half lidded eyes.

"Master, thank you for all the care you have shown me. Allow me to protect you now." Ortlinde held out her hand and a heavy scythe appeared. With a burst of speed, she vanished only to reappear behind Jack. With a quick slash, Jack was knocked out and her magic stone dislodged from where it was tucked into her belt.

Ellis watched on in awe as the neko danced among the shadow spirits, her scythe spinning almost with a life of its own. This was a blade dance almost equal to that of Ren Ashbell. Velsaria had similar thoughts, but would not allow herself be distracted. Between the blasts from Velsaria's cannons and Ortlinde's scythe the shadow spirits were quickly overwhelmed.

Misty felt the tide of the battle sway against her. Her muddled mind raced for a way to overcome this new development. Haruka appeared next to her. They exchanged looks and silently agreed that it was time to withdraw. Taking ahold of Misty's arm, they slipped into the shadows to join up with the black knight. As soon as they departed the battlefield the legion of shadows melted back into the darkness.

Claire had managed to get back to her feet as the battle ended. Ortlinde padded up to Claire with a content smile on her face, her tail swaying slowly. "Scarlet? But-but how?"

"Master, this is my true form. You are the first to hear my voice in generations." Ortlinde answered.

"Thank you….umm….what should I call you now?" Claire asked unsure.

"You can call me what you want to." The catgirl said.

"Okay, thank you….Scarlet." Claire scratched Ortlinde on the top of the head receiving a happy purr.

 **/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\**

Kamito raced through the forest and found his quarry waiting for him in a clearing that ended in a tall cliff. "Jio…." Kamito spat.

"Hello again, false demon king." Jio sneered removing his helm. "Was it wise to leave your precious team behind to their demise?"

"They can handle themselves just fine. You should be more worried about yourself." Kamito retorted.

"I have no worries, I _will_ claim my rightful place as the successor of King Solomon. With this new power, I am unstoppable!" Jio declared as he replaced his helm.

"We'll just have to see about that." Kamito smirked. 'Est, are you ready?'

" _Of course, Kamito. I am your sword."_ Est's blade shone brightly. Kamito charged in quickly, slashing at Jio's right arm. He just as quickly jumped back to create some distance when he felt no resistance.

" _Kamito, I do not understand. Somehow he absorbed the attack."_ Est said confused. Kamito was equally confused. When Est cut into his arm, it was as though she .

He raised his empty hand and a ball of blue energy formed in his palm. " **Sokatsui!"** Jio's body seemed to emit an inky darkness that the energy blast entered, but there was no detonation.

"Hahahahaha! Now it's time for you to die!" Jio drew his sword and charged at Kamito. Kamito parried the attack and struck at Jio with Est's pummel, hitting him in the mask of his helm. The impact knocked Jio back a few steps.

'Hmm, so he can be hit.' Kamito observed.

Not wasting the time to talk, Jio charged again. This time when Kamito blocked, Jio struck him in the ribs with his left hand. Kamito winced in pain and slashed at Jio, which he blocked with his sword.

The black aura that seeped from the armor spread across the ground under Kamito's feet. Kamito leapt straight up as Jio shouted. " **Black Hole!"**

" **Bakudo 37: Tsuriboshi!"** A large flexible platform appeared under Kamito as it attached to several trees surrounding the clearing. Kamito watched as undergrowth and debris was sucked into the darkness.

Jio looked up at where Kamito was perched and shouted. " **Liberation!"** The darkness expanded around jio and all the debris that was pulled into the darkness was released into the air towards Kamito. He had to return to the ground as the projectiles tore apart his platform.

As Kamito landed, Jio extended his left hand. " **Kurouzu!"**

Kamito felt an unseen force drawing him toward Jio. 'Shit! Can't stop myself!' The moment he came into contact with Jio's hand Kamito could feel his divine power being quickly drained from him. Est's blade stopped shining. Jio's right fist connected with Kamito's jaw and sent him flying.

" _Are you okay, Est?"_ Kamito asked while standing up. He spit out a bit of blood from a split lip.

" _I am fine, Kamito. He drained a lot of my power."_ She responded.

" _I think it's time we took this seriously."_ Kamito closed his eyes. 'Release!' His eyes shot open, in his mind he shouted. " **I am the Demon King!"** The force of his divine power being released blew away all debris for a hundred feet around him and threatened to topple some nearby trees. Kamito channeled his power into Est. " **Twin Fangs!"** Est shone brighter than ever as she reformed into two kodachi. The brightness that she shone with obliterated all shadows in the vicinity exposing Misty and Haruka who had just arrived from their defeat against Kamito's team. Before either could react Kamito had stabbed a glowing blade into each girl. " _Est, expel the darkness from them!"_

" _Yes, Kamito."_ Both girls screamed as the darkness that had possessed them was forcibly expelled from their minds. They collapsed once the process was finished. Kamito quickly retrieved their magic stones so that they would be teleported to safety.

Kamito then turned his attention back to Jio. It was apparent from Jio's posture that he was amused at the display of power. " **Hado 11: Tsuzuri Raiden!"** Both of Est's blades crackled with electricity. " **Absolute Blade Arts, First Form Revised: Violet Lightning, Dual Wielding!"**

Jio was barely able to summon the darkness to absorb the attack, but not before Kamito was able to put two deep cuts through his armor. Jio slammed his fist into the ground breaking the ground into large chunks and quickly spreading a large pool of darkness. " **Black Hole!"** Jio shouted drawing in shattered ground and causing Kamito to leap off the ground again. He extended his left hand and yelled. " **Kurouzu!"** He started drawing Kamito in when he shouted. " **Liberation!"** Darkness formed a cloud behind Jio and he launched the chunks of broken earth at Kamito.

Kamito swiped his arm down in a chopping motion. " **Ura Hado: Sannodou Teppuusatsu!"** The visage is a dragon's head appeared in front of Kamito. When it opened its great maw it unleashed a powerful gale that knocked aside the boulders and blasted Jio through one tree into another, cracking his armor.

Jio was just regaining his equilibrium when he saw Kamito looking at him apathetically. "Don't look down on me! I _WILL_ defeat you and take my rightful place as king!" Jio screamed in fury. Raising his arms over his head, Jio formed a sphere of darkness that started growing in size.

Kamito raised an arm and held it out stretched. " **Hado 99:"** The ground around him shattered as energy was released. " **Goryuu Tenmetsu!"** From the fissures in the ground erupted geysers of flame that joined together to form a massive dragon that could be seen for miles all around.

"You can't beat me! I am the rightful Demon King!" Jio shouted in defiance as his sphere of darkness grew ever larger.

Kamito swiped his arm down, sending the dragon to attack Jio. It opened its massive jaws and easily swallowed first the ball of dark energy followed by Jio himself. The instant its jaws snapped shut a pillar of fire shot skyward and incinerated everything within its range. As the flames dissipated a lone figure could be seen standing among the ashes. His armor was almost completely vaporized and most of his skin was charred beyond recognition, but there stood Jio still breathing. He tried to take a step forward but fell to his knees panting. Suddenly a blazing cross sprouted from Jio's back followed quickly by one from his chest. Soon dozens of crosses sprang from all over Jio's body each starting to combine into a single star shaped tomb.

Unable to move, Jio could only ask. "What the hell did you do to me?"

"I planted this spell on you when I struck you with the Absolute Blade Art. It activated when you were at your weakest. You shall forever be entombed inside Kyuujuurokkei Kakafuumetsu. I am not killing you, so this will not disqualify us from the finals of the blade dance. Goodbye forever, false Demon King." Kamito stated dispassionately.

Several miles away a figure was watching the battle between the two when a young woman dressed in a dark dress with wings of black feathers on her back approached.

"It would seem that he is almost ready." Restia said looking Kamito longingly.

"Yes, it should not take much more to push him over the edge. I hope you are ready to do your part." The other person said without looking at the darkness spirit.

"Of course. It has always been the duty of the will to be the catalyst for change." Restia acknowledged solemnly.

"Good. This world has been corrupted for too long. It is time that the tides of change sweep away the current order. Only then can the people truly be free." The figure turned abruptly and strode away.

"I'm sorry, Kamito." A tear rolled down Restia's cheek.

Elsewhere another figure watched the conclusion of the match with great interest. It mattered not that its agent had been defeated, it was worth the valuable information that it gained. As the figure melted back into the shadows, it planned on the best way to utilize what it had learned.

 **Finally finished. I had to rewrite a large chunk of this chapter because I was mistaken as to how the yami-yami no mi worked. I thought as a logia it would make him intangible. The reason for his change in powers is because he died in Gato only to be resurrected by the Otherworldly Darkness for the blade dance. As such, he lost his other abilities and gained the abilities of darkness instead.**


	17. Chapter 17

**I'm Alive! I know, hard to believe isn't it? I am sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. Life, work, blah blah blah, writer's block blah blah, other usual excuse. Well here is what everyone is really here for, Enjoy the chapter.**

"Hmm, so Jio failed." A young woman commented without any surprise in her voice. "Nonetheless, he still served his purpose. That was quite the informative fight, Kazehaya Kamito." Sjora smirked before fading into the darkness.

 **-Line Break-**

"Lady Leonora, what was that power?" Yuri El Cid asked her team captain. Her knees were shaking slightly from the amount of divine energy she could feel being released even from as far away as they were.

Leonora was trembling as well, though for a much different reason. She could feel herself becoming excited at the prospect of facing that power both on the battlefield, and off. "Show me your true power, Kazehaya Kamito. I want nothing more than to break that power and take it as my own." The dragon princess said lustfully to herself watching the giant flame dragon that devastated the landscape.

 **-The Next Morning-**

"I thought I told you to keep Jio away from Kamito until the final round." Robia Elstien scowled at Restia. She was currently wearing her Ren Ashbell disguise.

Restia scoffed. "While we may have the same objective, you do not command me. That monstrosity believed himself of a higher station than he deserved. I merely allowed him to learn his true place."

"That may be so, but he was serving his purpose quite well. Just a few more team's divine energy and he would have been able to awaken Kamito's true powers."

"Hah! The outcome would have been no different. Kamito barely had to scratch the surface of his power to deal with that trash. You do not need him to unlock Kamito's power, I am all that is required." Restia stated vehemently.

"And how will you achieve this?" Robia asked with her arms crossed.

"That is not for you to know." Restia refused to answer.

"Listen, spirit, do not cross me." Flames wrapped around her like a living cloak.

"You do not frighten me, Calamity Queen." Restia countered, shadows swirling around her as she released a portion of her power.

"Tsk." Robia spun on her heel and strode away.

Restia calmed herself and looked off in the direction of Kamito. "Soon, Kamito. Soon it will be time to end this charade and you will take your rightful place in this universe." A single tear rolled down her cheek as she thought about what she had to do, would have to sacrifice, in order to restore balance to the natural order.

 **-Line Break-**

"Ha! It is complete. Shao Fu, please make sure this is delivered to the vile Demon King." Linfa, the third princess of the Quina Empire said presenting a parchment to her team's Ace.

Shao quirked an eyebrow at the strange request. "What exactly is this?"

"It's a declaration of war against Team Dark Tides of course. That lecherous fiend has been reported defiling young maidens and is known to force his sword spirit to wear very revealing garments. We will do this world a service and eliminate him before he can continue his licentious ways." Linfa pronounced proudly.

Shao Fu sweat dropped slightly at the princess' proclamation. "Umm….Princess, I've reviewed those reports and they are based on rumor and hearsay. Not one account listed has been verified. The few times I have encountered Kamito Kazehaya, he has always been an honorable opponent."

"He is a male, what other proof do you need? Just his very presence is a taint on the traditions that we hold sacred. We must do our part in removing him and returning to the way things should be."

*sigh*"Very well, Princess, but I believe this is a poor move. Kamito by himself is very powerful, and the team he has formed are also strong in their own right. I think it would be better to ambush them one by one rather than attack head on." Shao advised.

"Perhaps now would be a wise time to strike. If Kazehaya is as honorable as you believe, then he will accept the challenge. After his team's recent battles with Team Shadow Stalkers and that dark knight from Team Inferno, it is doubtful that they will be in top form allowing us the opportunity to at least take a few of their numbers out." Rao Rin interjected.

"And by us issuing the challenge, we can dictate the terms to our advantage." Hakua added thoughtfully.

Shao closed her eyes in thought for a moment. "Very well, I shall issue this challenge. Perhaps with the Lords' blessings, we can come out victorious." Bowing to Linfa, Shao departed for Team Dark Tides' stronghold.

 **-Line Break-**

Kamito was relaxing on his bunk Est sleeping next to him as he recalled the fight against Jio. He knew that Sjora was the one who had him brought back after their encounter in Gado from Lily's reports, but the question was why? She and the Otherworldly Darkness would surely have known that Jio would not be strong enough to defeat him, so why bring him back in the first place? Yes, he had pushed him farther than he had expected, but what was their goal?

Kamito decided to let the matter go for now. He could hear a commotion coming from outside. Poking his head out of the tent he saw Fianna rushing toward the north perimeter of the stronghold along with Velsaria. Ellis came running up to his tent just as Claire came around the corner.

"Kamito, we have a breach! One of Fianna's interior alarms just alerted her to an outside presence. She and big sister went to check it out." Ellis informed Kamito.

"You two go catch up with them to provide backup if needed. I'll be right behind you." Kamito instructed.

As Claire and Ellis departed to catch up with the rest of the team, Kamito turned his attention to his sleeping spirit. "Est, it's time to get up." Kamito gently roused the sword spirit. He chuckled when she pursed her lips cutely indicating she was not as asleep as she pretended. He bent over and gave her a light peck on the lips and ruffled her hair. "Come on, we have work to do."

Blushing lightly as she sat up, Est nodded. Shining brightly, Est returned to her sword for and Kamito slipped her into her scabbard. Instead of following the path the others used, Kamito took to put the treetops to surprise their unexpected visitor.

Shao Fu chuckled quietly as she watched Fianna and Velsaria arrive to investigate the alarm she had inadvertently triggered. Shao had not anticipated the extra layers of defense after she had infiltrated the barrier. In her mind she could see both girls weaknesses that she could exploit and remove them from the competition.

Seeing Claire and Ellis come down the path drew the attention of Fianna and Velsaria. Shao Fu could not believe how inept these girls were when it came to keeping their guard up. It would be so easy….

"Those girls shouldn't drop their guard like that. Who knows what kinds of predators are lurking in these woods." A masculine voice whispered in Shao Fu's ear. She felt a chill of excitement run down her spine as Kamito's breath tickled her ear.

"Perhaps they should be more worried about the predator in their midst." Shao teased.

"They're not my type." Kamito shrugged before standing up. "I'm assuming you're not here to battle us on your own, so would you care for a cup of tea?"

"That would be most welcome, thank you.". Shao stood and followed Kamito as he lead the way back to the camp.

Since the pair were no longer concealing their presence, Fianna felt them heading back to the camp. "Must have been a false alarm. Let's head back." Fianna suggested. Her curiosity piqued, she wanted to get back and see who their guest was. This was no ordinary opponent, she couldn't even sense whoever it was until Kamito arrived. If she was that good, then she could have taken them completely off guard, maybe even eliminate them from the competition altogether.

Velsaria and the others looked suspiciously at the Lost Queen but didn't voice any concerns. She knew Fianna was hiding something, she would have to ask her later when they could have some privacy. The traps that they had set inside the stronghold could not be triggered by any of the low-level spirits in the area. "Sure, let's head back." Fianna could tell that Velsaria didn't fully believe her. Discreetly she signaled Velsaria that they had company at the camp.

"Hmm….So this is your stronghold. Not bad." Shao complimented as she looked around the camp.

"It helps to have a former Queen candidate on your team." Kamito admitted. Kamito offered her a seat before he retrieved a teapot and a couple of glasses. "How do you prefer your tea?"

Shao took the offered seat and replied. "I like mine extra sweet, three cubes of sugar." He placed the sugar into the cup and poured the tea before offering her the cup with a spoon to stir with. "So how long till you expect the others to get back?" He made a milk tea for Est before pouring himself a cup and taking a seat across from Shao Fu.

"They should be back any time now. Fianna, at the least, should have felt our presence when we came this way." Kamito replied taking a sip of his tea.

"Should be interesting to see their reactions. Care for a little wager?" Shao smiled mischievously.

"What were you thinking?" Kamito asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I bet that little hellcat of your's is going to lose her shit when she sees me sitting here." Shao laughed.

Kamito laughed and shook his head. "No bet, I'd lose for sure."

"Alright then, how about…." Shao was interrupted when the rest of Kamito's team came into view.

"WHAT! WHO IS THAT AND WHERE DID SHE COME FROM!?" Claire screamed as she was about to summon Ortlinde.

"Calm down, Claire. You're making a scene. She is obviously not here for a battle right now." Fianna chided even though she was just as surprised to see the ace of the Four Gods sitting in their camp. "Let's at least hear what she has to say before we do anything drastic."

"Yes, you should stand down as well, Ellis." Velsaria stated as she kept a cautious eye on the newcomer.

"Yes, big sister." Ellis lowered her sword although she did not return it to her sheath.

"Hmm, they're taking my presence here better than I expected." Shao Fu took another sip from her cup.

"Well, now that everyone is here, why don't you explain the reason for your visit today?"

"I guess now is as good as any time." Shao stood up and withdrew a parchment from within her uniform. "Princess Linfa wished for me to present this to you." She handed the parchment to Kamito who unrolled it and read its contents.

"Is this for real?" Kamito asked incredulously.

"What does it say?" Fianna asked. Kamito handed it to her and Velsaria read it over her shoulder.

*sigh* "I wish I could tell you that it was not, but yes, it is a declaration of war against Team Dark Tides. May I have your response?" Shao said visibly annoyed with having to go through with this farce.

"Of course we will accept and we'll eliminate you from the blade dance!" Claire declared.

"While I'm not as fervent as my teammate, I agree that we accept. What are the conditions?" Kamito sighed as he shot a glare at Claire who stuck her tongue out at him in defiance.

"We will meet at a neutral location after breakfast tomorrow. Do you have a map?" Shao asked.

Kamito retrieved a map of the area and laid it out on the table. After a few moments of looking it over Shao pointed to an area not far from the stronghold. "This appears to be a suitable location. I shall relay this to the princess. Thank you for the tea." Shao bowed as she prepared to leave.

Kamito returned the bow. "Think nothing of it. We should do this again sometime." Shao Fu's cheeks turned slightly red with a blush at thinking about spending some time alone with the young man away from the blade dance.

'What the hell is wrong with me?' Shao thought as she felt her cheeks heat up. "Until tomorrow then." Shao didn't wait for a response as she leapt away in a blur heading for the outer barrier of the stronghold.

"What was that all about?" Fianna asked sweetly even though Kamito could feel the jealousy rolling off the young maiden. In fact he could feel the sense of jealousy coming from all the ladies in his group.

"I want a date with Kamito too." Fianna muttered quietly, but Kamito still heard her. Looking around, each girl was nodding in agreement while looking nervous.

With a defeated sigh, Kamito spoke up. "Fine, I'll take each of you out for a treat when we get back to town." Each of the girls lit up with excitement hearing this. Kamito felt a slight tug on his sleeve and saw Est giving him puppy dog eyes. His features softened. "Of course I'll take you out too, Est." He said rubbing her head.

"No fair, why does she get special attention." "I wish Kamito would look at me like that." "Kamito can pet me too." "Stupid Kamito. He should be my spirit and spoil me."

Turning serious, Kamito addressed the girls. "Well, I didn't expect us to face the Four Gods yet, but it wasn't outside the realm of possibility. We should probably go over a strategy." The girls also turned serious sensing the change in atmosphere.

"What do we know about their abilities?" Velsaria asked regaining her militaristic attitude.

"So, what was his answer?" Princess Linfa asked anxiously.

"He accepts the challenge and awaits the opportunity to duel with you." Shao Fu reported with her head bowed so the princess could not see her smile as she added that last part.

"H-h-he wants to duel m-m-me?" Princess Linfa stuttered.

"Of course. You are our leader and you did issue the declaration of war, did you not?" Shao continued. Hakua and Rao Rin quickly noticed what Shao Fu was doing and had to stifle their own mirth at the situation.

"W-What kind of duel did he have in m-mind?" Linfa asked not wanting to hear the answer. She wasn't a fighter, how could she battle that lewd beast leader of Team Dark Tides? What had she gotten herself into?

"He proposed a 'Blade Dance of the Night'. Shao Fu put the final nail in the coffin.

"But but but- I-I'm…." Princess Linfa promptly fainted.

Hakua and Rao Rin burst into giggles and Shao Fu stood up and rubbed the back of her head. "Perhaps I overdid it a little."

"You should be more considerate of her highness. She is still quite naive in the way of the world." Rion Sharma said emerging from her tent.

Rion and Shao helped Princess Linfa to her bed in her tent and waited for her to recover. It didn't take long for the princess to wake up. She quickly sat up and started babbling how she wasn't ready while blushing furiously.

"Princess Linfa, calm down. Kamito did not challenge you. Please forgive my prank." Shao Fu apologized bowing her head.

"Huh?" Linfa looked relieved, but almost a little disappointed for a moment. "W-well, b-be that as it is, I'll forgive you this time. B-but as your leader, I-I would have accepted his challenge to p-protect you girls from h-his l-lecherous hands." Linfa stammered trying to look convincing.

Shao Fu was just about to tease the young princess again but was interrupted by Rion. "We are honored that you would take on such a responsibility, but it is completely unnecessary. We, The Four Gods, will defeat Kazehaya Kamito and his team for the glory of the Quina Empire."

"Perhaps we should work on our strategy for tomorrow." Hakua recommended.

"You can do what you want, but I will take on Kamito myself." Shao Fu said with a gleam in her eye. Even though she would have prefered to wait for the finals, she had to admit she was anticipating the coming battle.

 **====Line Break======**

Kamito and Team Dark Tides arrived at the agreed upon location not long after breakfast. The previous day he relayed what little information he had on Team Four Gods to the rest of the team. He had not learned much about their abilities since they had discussed the other teams on the ride from the academy, so it was basically a rehash of what had already been discussed. 'Too bad I have not been able to get any information from Lily before now.' Kamito thought as they entered the clearing. In the middle of the clearing stood Shao Fu with one hand on her hip and a smirk on her lips.

"I'm glad to see you found your way here, Demon King of the Night." Shao Fu said in a teasing tone.

Kamito sighed at his nickname. "Yes, it wasn't hard to find. How about we skip the pleasantries and get things rolling?"

Shao Fu shrugged her shoulders. "Very well. I, Shao Fu of the White Tiger, challenge you, Kazehaya Kamito to a one on one duel."

Kamito smirked. "Sounds like fun. I accept."

"Don't think we forgot about you girls." Said a voice from the woods. Three forms emerged into the light of the clearing. "I am Rion Sharma of the Vermillion Bird."

"I am Hakua of the Black Tortoise."

"I am Rao Rin of the Azure Dragon. We shall be your opponents."

'Hmm, Princess Linfa did not reveal herself as I figured.' "Fianna, keep an eye out for their fifth member. Princess Linfa is acting as support somewhere in the background." Kamito directed.

"Got it, Kamito!" Fianna responded.

Kamito drew Est from her sheath and assumed his stance while Shao Fu summoned her waffe in the form of a pair of gauntlets that resembled tiger's heads. Taking the initiative, Shao charged in with incredible speed. "She's fast!" Kamito said as he dodged her first punch and blocked her follow up punch with the flat of Est's blade. " _Est, we need to counter her speed, transform into the twin kodachis."_

" _Yes, Kamito."_ Est said as her form glowed and she separated into the two short swords. Kamito used his agility to leap over Shao Fu's head and slashed at her back. Shao managed to turn in time and block the strike with one of her gauntlets and attempted a strike with the other which Kamito blocked with his other sword. Jumping away from each other, Kamito and Shao each took a moment to size up their opponent.

 **===With Claire, Ellis, and Velsaria====**

"Velsaria, cover us with support fire and run interference so Fianna can do her ritual dance. Ellis, you take the vanguard and I'll take the mid-guard!" Claire directed summoning Flametongue and taking her stance. Ellis and Velsaria could not find fault in her directions so they nodded in agreement as they summoned their waffes. Looking at her waffe, Claire was surprised to see that its shape had changed somewhat since she had awakened Ortlinde. Where there was once a single whip, now there were two that were intertwined ending in a pair of knotted tips. She could also feel a difference in the heat emanating from Flametongue. 'So this is Scarlet's true strength.' Claire realized as she looked at her spirit's weapon form. Returning her attention back to their opponents, she saw that they had also summoned their waffes.

Hakua was now holding a large black shield while standing in front of Rion and Rao. Rao Rin was armed with a long-bladed katana with a blue blade and hilt. Rion brandished a guandao that left a trail of flames as she twirled the heavy weapon with ease.

Velsaria launched a salvo of blasts at the trio of Quina elementalists only for Hakua to intercept the shots and absorb them into her shield. Suddenly they saw the head of a snake raise from the front of the shield and its eyes began to glow. Slamming the shield down, Hakua released the captured energy from the snake's head as a beam back at Team Dark Tides.

"Ellis! Dodge!" Claire shouted as she dove to the side. Ellis didn't hesitate as she dove in the other direction. Velsaria crossed her arms and tanked the blast to protect Fianna as she performed a ritual dance in the background.

As Ellis and Claire recovered they quickly found themselves on the defensive as Rion and Rao Rin attacked. Ellis caught Rion's large blade on the shaft of Ray Hawk and was driven down to a knee from the force of the attack. Ellis could feel the heat radiating from Rion's waffe as sweat started to form on her forehead. Shifting her balance she was able to pivot out from under the heavy weapon and swipe at Rion's unguarded flank. The moment Rion's blade hit the ground she leapt straight up doing a handstand on the pommel of the shaft avoiding Rayhawk.

Using the momentum from landing, Rion hefted her waffe and spun for another attack which Ellis jumped back to avoid.

Meanwhile Claire had problems of her own. As she came up from her tumble, Claire stumbled back and fell on her bottom as she dodged the blue blade of Rao Rin. Claire blocked the next slice with her whip. Steam started to spread from the contact of the two weapons as water began to run down the katana's blade onto the flaming whip.

'Ugh! She's too close for me to use flametongue properly.' Claire tried to think of a way to create some distance.

" _Nya Master, why not use my other form, nya?"_ Ortlinde asked in Claire's mind.

'Your other form?' Claire asked confused. Flametongue was the only waffe form she knew of. In her hands the whip in her hands straightened and stiffened forming a shaft and at one end flames danced up coalescing into a curved blade. A sudden image of a catgirl in a flaming dress came to mind. 'It's her weapon!' Claire realized suddenly.

Seeing her opponents waffe suddenly change caused Rao Rin to leap away. Claire stood up and awkwardly held the scythe in unsure hands. Watching her opponent for a moment, Rao Rin smirked. 'She's not used to handing a weapon like that. This is too easy now.' Sensing victory, Rao Rin charged in and started attacking fervently.

Claire was quickly becoming overwhelmed by Rao's speed of attack. She was able to block all the slashes with the shaft of her new waffe so far, but she was being driven backward until she stumbled over a rock and lost her balance. She closed her eyes in anticipation of the pain she knew was coming when a blade of wind cut through the air between her and Rao causing Rao to about her attack. Claire quickly regained her feet and looked over to see Ellis engaged with Rion. Ellis spared her a quick glance and Claire gave her a nod of thanks. Ellis nodded back as she sidestepped an overhead slash from Rion and attempted to slip inside her guard.

Hakua had either deflected or absorbed every blast that Velsaria had launched at her until she was nearly on top of Velsaria. Believing that she was within the best range, she slammed the edge of her shield into the ground and the snakehead in the center started to glow signaling her impending attack. Velsaria crossed her arms and tanked the point-blank blast with only minor damage. "I see that my cannons have no effect on you, How about we try something different?" Velsaria called out to her opponent. Hakua watched as a long lance emerged and unfolded from Dreadnaught's right arm. Charging in quickly, Velsaria closed the short distance between them and thrust the lance at Hakua. Hakua sidestepped and deflected the lance to the side before charging in and body slamming her shield into the back of Dreadnaught's leg almost causing it to buckle. She had to drop flat to the ground as Velsaria swung the lance around in an arc then roll to the side as Velsaria attempted to stomp on the shield bearer.

Claire was back on the defensive again, still unused to the feel of Ortlinde's scythe. She spared a glance around the battlefield and noticed that Ellis was holding her own against Rion while Velsaria and Hakua were at a stalemate. Velsaria had the advantage in power and strength, but was not able to keep up with Hakua's speed and maneuverability. She could see Fianna performing an elaborate kaguya dance in the distance, she could only hope that she would finish soon to give them any advantage possible. Finally she spotted Kamito fighting against Shao Fu.

 **++++Kamito vs Shao Fu+++++**

Shao Fu smirked as she observed Kamito's stance. She could see very few openings, but her trained eye could tell that said openings were actually traps that Kamito could easily defend with a slight shift of his stance. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a slow deep breath. When she opened her eyes she gathered a large amount of divine energy in her gauntlets causing them to glow a ghostly white. Charging in she went low to try and get under his guard.

Kamito noticed this and took a step back as he deflected her punch to the side with the side of one of his blades. Shao had expected this and used the momentum to spin around to backhand Kamito. He crossed his blades to block the hit but was surprised when he felt an intense pain pass through him.

"Like it? My waffe doesn't have to actually come in contact with you to do damage. That is the power of my Tiger's Killing Howl." Shao boasted.

"I see. That is quite the power." Kamito admitted coughing up a tiny amount of blood. "Please allow me to return the favor." Kamito brought both swords down at the same time which Shao caught with her gauntlets. Kamito smirked. "Hado 11: Tsuzuri Raiden!" A powerful bolt of electricity flowed down the blades into Shao's gauntlets delivering a powerful shock to the surprised girl. She was able to disengage and leap away before too much damage was done, but she could still feel the numbness in her arms as her muscles recovered from the shock.

"You've been holding back on me." Shao grinned as the feeling came back to her arms.

"I could say the same to you." Kamito came back.

In a blur, both former assassins re-engaged in their battle, both with a grin on their faces.

 **-_-_-_-_Claire-Ellis-Velsaria_-_-_-_-**

Ellis was starting to tire. So far she had been able to match Rion, but it was obvious that the fighter from Quina had more stamina. She winced as her shoulder throbbed where Rion had made contact in the brief instant that Ellis had helped Claire out of her bind. Both she and Rion had holes in their clothes where each had scored lucky hits. Suddenly Rion leapt back several meters and started spinning the weapon over her head.

Ellis could feel the increase in temperature as flames erupted from Rions blade. "You are more talented than I gave you credit for." Rion said. "But now it's time to show you the true power of my waffe."

Claire and Rao could also feel the rise in temperature. "Looks like Rion has finally decided to take this seriously. I guess I should do the same." Rao Rin said as she created some distance between her and Claire.

'Scarlet, I need Flametongue back. I don't have to experience to use this scythe.'

" _Nya, as you wish, Master."_ Ortlinde acknowledged as the waffe in Claire's hands became supple once again.

Suddenly the ground across the battlefield glowed with magic symbols and Claire could feel her strength returning and then some. Ellis smiled as she felt her energy returning as well. The flames on Rion's guandao diminished. 'Thank you, Fianna!' Ellis mentally cheered as she felt the tides of the battle shifting in their favor. Then she noticed the satisfied look on Rion's face and she realized something was wrong.

Just as suddenly as the magic symbols appeared, the changed from a golden white to a shimmering red and Ellis, Claire, and Velsaria felt an instant drain on their divine power.

"Our Princess Linfa has the contracted spirit Kirin. It's waffe Seraphim Feathers amplifies the power of her ritual dances, and even allows her to steal the benefits of other's dances. Your fate has been written." Rion revealed as she launched a wave of flames at Ellis.

Fianna clenched her fists and swore under breath. Her dance had been stolen in order to strengthen their opponents. She knew that it was time to reveal her trump card that she had developed in secret with Velsaria's help. She had hoped to save it for the finals, but at this rate they may not even make it that far. She closed her eyes and began to chant. "By the contract of the old blood, become the sword that protects me, come forth and do my bidding-Save the Queen!" In a flash of light, Fianna was now holding a golden rapier that she immediately stabbed into the ground.

 **Yes, I know, dang cliffhangers. This battle has been a battle to get out. I will do my best to get the next chapter out in a more timely manner. Thank you for reading and thank you for your patience with my poor updating.**


End file.
